Under Your Stars
by xaSomethingWish
Summary: Zutara. Four years have gone by since the Avatar and his band of friends defeated Fire Lord Ozai. Now, they are all gathering at the South Pole for a birthday party, but will the secrets of two forbidden lovers spark a different kind of war?
1. Memories

**A/N: This is a fanfic that I had originally posted on deviantArt, but now I'm going to finish and repost it here! This is kind of the prelude, so the other chapters will be longer. Enjoy!

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Four years.

How short it seemed to Katara. She rolled onto her side to gaze at the full moon. _I swear I can see Yue's face up there, _she thought as she thought of her ill-fated trip to the sister-tribe. Sokka still loved her, she knew, but at least he had Suki now. And, of course, his little Yuki. Just as clumsy as her father, but as fierce and beautiful as both Suki and Yue. She was growing up so fast! It felt like only yesterday she had been helping to deliver her, and now she was almost a year old! The whole Gaang had been invited to her big party, and Toph, Bumi and Flopsie, Piandao, Gran-Gran and Pakku, and all of the Kyoshi warriors, including their new leader, Ty Lee, had already arrived. The only ones not present so far were Arnook, Aang, Iroh and-

_No, _she hissed in her mind. _Stop this. He's nothing to me. I don't feel anything... _She concentrated on stopping the tears from trickling down her face. She felt her heart ripping gently again, but this pain was nothing compared to the first time...

There was a soft whisper outside her tent flap. "Katara?" Suki's calm voice was hesitant. "I'm sorry to wake you, but we're expecting the Northern Water Tribe Chieftain soon, and new accommodations are needed..." Her voice trailed off and Katara raised her head slightly. "Well, I would ask Master Pakku, but he is a guest, and, well, you see..." She could almost hear the blush rising in Suki's face. Of course, a Water bender _would _be involved in those kind of activities on the night of a full moon. Well, at least she would have the moon to help build the new ice house for Arnook and whoever else he had decided to bring along.

She didn't move for a few minutes. "Katara?" Suki called again, softer and more pleading than before. "Please, we really need you, otherwise I wouldn't ask-"

"Don't worry, Suki," Katara said, her voice so awake and cheerful that it made Suki jump. "As soon as I throw on my boots and coat, take me to the build site."

"Oh, thank you so much Katara!!" Suki exclaimed as quietly as she could without waking the whole village. Katara smiled as she pulled back the tent flap.

"Hey, it's the least I can do for my niece's first birthday." She smiled, and Suki grinned back. The deep blue of her overcoat made her violet eyes truly sparkle.

"Come on, it's right over here," she said, grabbing Katara's wrist and dragging her along.

They came around the corner of another ice-house to see Sokka, Hakota, and Bato standing on a rather large, barren path of snow and ice. They (probably Sokka, judging by the quality) had outlined the projected house's outer walls. As the two women approached, the men turned. Sokka stubbly chin hairs made him look much older than 19, and much more of a chief. He saw who Suki was dragging along, and his face split into a large smile. "Thank goodness she brought you, 'cause i don't know how we would finish this any other way."

Katara bowed exaggeratedly. "I would do anything for my chief," she said, adopting her most theatrical voice. "Consider it a present for Yuki's birthday."

Sokka blinked twice. "Why in the world would she want a house for her first birthday?" he asked, thoroughly confused. She shook her head.

"Is this going to be the same as the others?" she continued, eager to return to her room. The men nodded.

"Make sure there's an extra bedroom, though," her father put in. "He brought a friend," he added, winking. Katara looked at him blankly, feeling like she was the butt of a cruel joke.

"Why can't he just have the place I already made for..." She trailed off, unable to finish.

Sokka didn't notice. "The Chief of the Northern Water Tribe needs more room than the Fire Lord who is also my best friend! Besides," he added turning back to face the building site, "I already told you. Arnook is bringing a friend, and as far as I know, he doesn't share his bed with other men."

Katara sighed. "Alright, this should be easy with the moon to help." As she got into position, Sokka grinned from ear to ear.

"That's the spirit!"

* * *

30 minutes later, Katara was back in her large tent. She preferred it to the ice homes she constructed, and besides, it was easier to not burn pelts than it was to keep ice from melting. Even for a water bender. She was sitting as her small desk with a small drawer under the writing surface. She inhaled deeply through her nose, and let the air out of her mouth slowly. Opening her drawer, she shifted aside the letters and scraps of parchment to find a small golden handle. She lifted it and pulled out the flat bundle of blue cloth. Placing it gently on the desk, she continued to pull apart the corners until the object hidden within was completely expose in the soft light of the moon.

The black silk was of the highest quality, with strands of black hair woven into the fibers. It was just long enough to tie tightly around her neck. Hanging from the exact middle was a glowing white carving. What it was exactly, Katara had no idea, but she assumed it was a type of rare rock. Carved into the otherwise flawless surface was an insignia: four crashing waves surrounded by a flame.

_Our insignia, _she thought, smiling through her tears. She formed an icy mirror to tie the necklace around her neck. She pressed the tips of her fingers to the somehow-warm surface. _"I fully understand the meaning of this gift. Please, let me know that you feel the same way. Don't lie to yourself..." _Closing her eyes, she thought back to that one horrible, yet beautiful day...

* * *

_They had all been at Ba Sing Se. The day before Sokka had 'captured the moment' in one of his little scribbles, and her lips still tingled from Aang's kiss. Now it was time to part ways, but this time for good. She was standing apart from the group, just watching. Sokka and Aang were playing another round of 'Air, Fire, Water, Earth,' and Mai and Suki were still arguing about which was a better weapon; knives or fans. Toph was talking to Iroh in his office about some important issue, and: wait, where was-  
_

_A hand flew around the corner and grabbed her waist, flinging her against the wall. She was about to break the man's nose when she saw the scar. "Zuko!" she hissed, her heart hammering in her chest. She was mildly annoyed, but not as much as she should be; her feelings were_ _scaring her. "I was going to break your nose!! Why did you-"  
_

_"We need to talk." He cut her off, his voice thick with... with what? She couldn't tell, and couldn't think clearly enough to try to puzzle it out. "I-" He stopped, and turned his face away. "I- I just wanna say-" He heaved a sigh. "Don't hit me please," he begged, turning to face me again. She stopped breathing, she was so lost in those golden eyes. He leaned forward, but hesitated. Before she knew what she was doing, the electricity from the touch of their lips was coursing through her body as she wrapped her hands in his hair, pressing him closer. He pushed her into the wall, his lips hungry on hers. He pulled back reluctantly and sighed. "I knew it," he breathed. He kissed her again, but only for an instant. "If only we could be together," he lamented, resting his forehead against hers.  
_

_"What was it you wanted to tell me before?" she asked, trying to forestall their inescapable good-bye. He locked eyes with her, and before she knew, she was above him. Or he was below her. She didn't know, or care, so long as the eyes would never release her. Her slid a smooth, silky object into her hand. She torn her eyes away from his to look at it. "I fully understand..."  
_

* * *

She never heard the rest of his speech until later, right before they had left. Mai had come looking for 'her' Zuko, but Katara had known that she would always have a part of him that Mai could never touch.

"_Forever, I will love you_."

Those had been his last words to her, breathed into her ear as they had embraced for the final time. She slowly opened her eyes, blinking hurriedly to clear her blurred vision. As she felt the water on her checks, she fell forward, letting the sobs shake her to sleep, her greatest secret still exposed.

That was how Suki found her the next morning...


	2. Regrets

Four years.

That didn't seem like the right amount of time to Zuko. Only four years since he had gained the throne from his crazed sister Azula, since he had helped Aang learn fire bending to defeat his father, since he had said good-bye-

No, he would _not_ let himself think about that. He bit down on his lip to stop the quivering. He slammed the calligraphy brush down on the already-stained wood of his huge desk and stood up quickly, flipping his chair onto its back. With sharp, angry strides he marched to the small balcony that overlooked the courtyard. He looked down and saw Mai slip under the covered walkway and glide into the building she stayed in. A few moments later, the captain of her guards followed, at a much slower pace, to take his normal night-post. Zuko gazed at the reflection of the moon in the pond, the ripples breaking the perfect shape. Lifting his head up, he inhaled the soft breeze of the summer night. It had been a night like this when he had found the Avatar, when the moon had died and been reborn, when he had first fought-

The knock on his door interrupted his thoughts for him. "Enter," he called, turning to face the late visitor. It was his most trusted adviser.

"Lord Zuko, you should be asleep at this hour," Iroh scolded gently. "We have a long way to travel." Zuko turned away to watch the stars.

"It was very nice of the Avatar to offer to give us a ride there on his Sky bison." Iroh was standing at his side. Zuko had grown, and now Iroh's head barely reached his shoulder. His muscles were outlined through the sleeves of his night robe, and his hair had grown a little longer. The only part that remained unchanged was his flame-like scar. All of his royal paintings had it displayed, which was what he had wanted, much to Mai's surprise and, sometimes, disgust.

"Yes, it was," Zuko agreed, not really listening. He was thinking back to his latest fight with Mai...

* * *

"Why can't we even have a picture done of your good side?" she had complained one day while Zuko was reading an invitation from his old friend, Sokka.

"Because I want everyone to remember what horrible things Fire Lord Ozai did to me," he responded, not truly listening or even caring. He never called Ozai 'father' anymore, either.

"Water Tribe?" Mai had asked a few moments later. He jumped, not realizing she was almost resting her chin on his right shoulder.

"Yes," he said shrugging. "Sokka and Suki are celebrating their daughter's very first birthday and have requested 'the presence of the most-esteemed Fire Lord Zuko and whomever else he may wish to bring. Oh, and have Aang and Iroh come, too.'" He chuckled. He assumed Suki had written the first part, and Sokka had added the second.

He glanced at Mai, but she was scowling. "Why do those Water Tribe peasants want _you_ at their brat's birthday?" she had demanded. "Are they trying to shove it in our faces?!"

Zuko had been stunned by the hostile tone of her voice. "Sokka's my friend," he had said dumbly. "Of course he would want me to come to-"

"Isn't it obvious, Zuko?" Mai had spat back, twisting away. "They want to show off their beautiful baby girl to us, because they had one and they're a whole year younger than us!"

Zuko had just stared at her, unable to comprehend what she was really trying to say. "It's not like it's your fault that you can't carry children, and nobody blames you for it. Most think it's a blessing..."

"Well it's a curse for the wife of a Fire Lord! I can't produce any heirs!! Did you ever really think about that?" She had almost been screaming as she had spat out the last sentence (or at least as close to it as Mai could get). Then she lunged for the door, but before leaving had hurled one other complaint back. "I know the real reason. That water bender is still alone, isn't she?!" Zuko had frowned at her. She had glared back, then slammed the door.

* * *

That had been three days ago.

Iroh shifted his weight from foot to foot. "So... umm..." Zuko knew he wanted to ask a tough, personal question. "Uhh... are the invitations all done?" he finally asked. Zuko smirked. He knew he had wussed out for the time being, but would try to ask again later.

"Almost," he replied. "I was just making the ones to give to Sokka and his family now." He kept his gaze from Iroh's eyes. His uncle knew him too well.

"Why, Zuko?" Iroh whispered. Zuko risked a glance at Iroh. He was gripping the railing of the balcony so tightly his knuckles were white, and he was scowling fiercely. "Why do you marry a woman you do not love, who you cannot ever love?" He was... almost pleading.

Zuko blinked in surprise, then scowled back. "You were the one who told me to let her go!" he growled. "You told me marrying Mai would be the best path for me to take! You said she would help me forget, and heal! You said-" He wasn't fast enough to stop the few tears that trickled down his face. Iroh looked up, his face full of love, compassion, and sadness. Zuko turned away from him. "But you were wrong," he breathed. "If anything, Mai's made it worse."

Iroh squeezed his nephew's shoulder gently. "Will you be able to handle the party?" he asked. "She _will_ be there," he added. "Who would want to miss their niece's first birthday?" he added in a lighter tone. Zuko barely smiled at the irony. "Get some rest," Iroh advised before walking back into the room. Zuko heard him pause at the desk. "You're going to have to redo this one," he chuckled. "You have ink all over it!" He continued out into the hall, closing the door quietly.

Zuko didn't move for a few more moments, just listening to be sure that no one else was going to be visiting him that night. When he was sure that Uncle's voice had faded around the far corner of his long hallway, he turned swiftly back into his room, closing the double doors that lead to the balcony. He then opened his main door and told the guards standing there that he was going to bed now and to not let anyone, ANYONE else even knock on the doors until first light the next day. They nodded and resumed a more wakeful pose he knew would turn into a heavy slouch once he shut the door.

He extinguished all the lamps and flung his robe onto the floor. Crawling under the covers of his large bed, he felt lonely and cold, but even when Mai was curled next to him he felt this way. He rolled onto his back and gazed at the moon, but it made him think too much about _her_. He flipped over onto his other side, but it only provided him with a view of his desk and the secret hidden within. Angry, he rolled onto his stomach and buried his head into his pillow until he had to come up for air. Exasperated he flicked the covers off and tip-toed to his desk. By the light of the moon, he opened the drawer under his writing surface. Pushing the scraps of paper and an old portrait of himself and Mai, he found the small golden handle and lifted, pulling out a sheet of paper. He sucked in a huge lungful of air, and flipped it over to reveal the drawing on the other side.

He knew he was a skilled artist, but he could not do that beautiful Water Tribe warrior any justice on paper. It was his favorite picture of her, her hair in its usual loops and braid. She was gazing at the ocean splashing below her, and the wind was pushing at her back. He had altered it slightly from what he actually remembered, though. In her right hand, blue silk fluttering in the ocean breeze, was her grandmother's engagement necklace. In its place around her neck was a necklace of black silk, its pale white emblem striking against her dark skin.

"_I will always wait for you._"

That was what she had whispered in his ear after she had accepted his engagement gift. He touched the tips of his fingers to his lips, remembering the icy fire he had tasted that day, that he still yearned for with his whole being. He set the picture up against the wall so he could gaze at it while resting his head on his folded arms. His vision became blurred, and he struggled to keep his open to drink in the picture of his beloved. Only when he felt the water on his arms did he bury his head and give in to his tears, his most valued secret still exposed.

That was how Iroh found him the following morning...


	3. Reunion

**A/N: OK, enough background info! Time for the story to take off! What happens when the two lovers are reunited?!? Enjoy, and please review!!**

**Disclaimer: Avatar and all of the characters here belong to Nickelodeon and Bryke. I'm just fixing their mistakes.**

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"Zuko!"

The young, child-like voice echoed around the large walled courtyard that had once been used to land airships. He only had time to look up before he was attacked by a gleaming, white-and-blue head. "It's so good to see you again!" Aang oozed as Zuko smiled and returned the embrace.

"Same goes for you," he replied, pulling Aang away by the shoulders to get a good look at him. He was taller, now reaching Zuko's chin, and was obviously shaving more than just the top of his head now. While he had filled out a bit and gained a little more muscle, he still had the same familiar boyish face. Aang grinned, then his look became shocked.

"When did you get so... big?" he asked, amazed as he took in Zuko's more mature figure.

"About two months ago," he joked. They laughed together as Momo glided onto Iroh's shoulder.

"Iroh! When did you get here?" Aang asked, surprised. Zuko guessed that Uncle's trimmer figure and Zuko's new height and robes had hidden him from Aang's view.

"Almost a month ago," he replied, stroking the lemur's head. "I figured it would be easier for me to come here and we all leave together, rather than you going to the Earth Kingdom before heading to the South Pole."

"You're right, it is easier," Aang agreed as they started to walk towards Appa again. "Especially since Toph is already there."

Iroh nodded in agreement. "We left on the same day," he said. "I had to leave much later, of course, because everybody wanted one last pot of tea." He grinned. "I even had the newest Dai Le recruits come in for some! In exchange for a whole pot each, they promised to watch my shop while I was away."

"Wow, that's very... nice of them," Aang said. Zuko rolled his eyes at Aang's easy acceptance of Uncle's 'story.' "So, let's get going!" Aang shouted, shooting himself onto Appa's head with air bending. Zuko and Iroh leaped into the saddle, and turned to glance back at the palace. Zuko noticed Mai and her guard captain, Hide, waving good-bye as Appa rose into the clouds.

They traveled in relative silence for a few hours, Zuko still tired from his poor sleep the night before. He did notice, however, that Iroh would constantly glance at him out of the corner of his eye. Zuko pretended he hadn't noticed.

"So, Aang," Iroh finally said. "Have you been to the South Pole lately?" Zuko whipped his head up, but Iroh was waiting for Aang's answer.

The Avatar turned, folding his arms on the rim of Appa's saddle and resting his head on the folds. "Not since the last harvest moon celebration," he said quietly, eyes downcast. He looked up and smiled crookedly. "At least now we're all going to be back together," he added in a more cheerful voice. "Just like the new-old times, right?" he joked, prodding Zuko lightly in the ribs.

"Yeah," he said. "Exactly like those times."

Aang jumped into the water for water bending practice, and then proceeded to made rock targets he then destroyed with fire bending. Zuko had to admit that Aang was becoming very skilled, but he still had some forms to perfect.

"So, Zuko, when were you last in the South Pole?" Aang asked suddenly while they were all eating their dinner of cooked fish. Zuko stopped chewing and swallowed his whole bite, coughing twice. Iroh put his fish down and watched as he twiddled his thumbs. Finally Zuko answered.

"I was last there when I found you," he replied.

Aang's eyes widened. "Oh," was all he said before returning to his small dinner.

They rested on Appa that night. Aang made a small island for Appa to lay down on, and sank it the following morning. Zuko was sure that their journey should not be almost over. _Then again, anything is possible when you're traveling with the Avatar_, he told himself as they pulled on their winter coats and put up their hoods to keep the snow out of their hair.

Zuko didn't even realize he had dozed off until Iroh's startled exclamation jolted him awake. "Look! Down there! Water Tribe ships!" He was almost jumping up and down, and his finger was jabbing at the clouds to Appa's left. Aang sprang to his side, and Zuko merely turned his head.

"Uncle, I don't think-"

"There they are!!" Aang cut in. The clouds were parting and Zuko could now see the distinctive blue sails of the Water Tribe. It was a small fleet, obviously out for some last-minute fishing. Aang grabbed his blue glider and leaped off the saddle to swoop as graceful as a bird over the heads of the surprised warriors out fishing, Appa following him down slowly.

Zuko laid back next to the odd-shaped bundles that held the presents for Yuki, and Iroh moved to sit in front of him."Zuko," he said, his tone serious. "I wanted to talk to you about... the other morning." He never took his eyes from his nephew's face. Zuko sighed and lowered his head. "I swear I will never tell a soul," he finished in a whisper, reaching out to pat Zuko's hand.

This was not what Zuko had expected to hear. He looked up, and barely managed to croak out "Thank you," before Aang returned.

"Look! It's Katara's walls!" he boasted as they flew over. _He sounds like he owns her, AND the walls_, Zuko growled in his mind, but couldn't help staring. They _were_ very impressive, surrounding the whole harbor and as thick as a man standing with his arms spread like wings. Another wall, just as thick as the one around the harbor, surrounded the actual village. The boats were following them in, but Appa was able to land in the actual village. The three travelers slid off Appa's back, and surveyed the crowd of people that surrounded them. The first people Zuko noticed were Sokka and Suki; they stood in front of the crowd holding a squirming bundle of blue fur and snow-white hair he assumed was Yuki. He remembered that pale hair from the last time he had been to any of the Poles...

Toph stood with King Bumi on her left, and a pretty older woman dressed in fine clothes holding her right hand. _Probably her mother_, he guessed. Flicking his eyes to the other side, he couldn't help but notice the green-clad Kyoshi warriors, their new leader grinning and waving excitedly. He smiled and nodded back to Ty Lee as he saw a man in Fire Nation clothes standing next to an older man in Southern Water Tribe garb. He had his arm wrapped around an elderly woman he had seen last time he had come, and that woman was holding the hand of-

He was drowning in dark blue waters, and he did not want to resurface. Her face glowed in the fading light, the orange-tint making her face seem even tanner than before. She was too thin, he noticed, and her eyes lacked that mischievous glint he had come to enjoy seeing. She glanced down for a brief moment, and peeked at him through her long, dark lashes. A faint smile pulled at the corners of her lips.

_Katara_, he sighed...

* * *

Katara flung herself onto the small cot covered with pelts that she slept on. _Or at least used to_, she thought sarcastically. She had been on her feet helping to finish preparations for the party, and had only had time to grab a few quick naps before being called to do something important that couldn't be accomplished without her powerful water bending. But now, everything was ready. It was time to relax and wait for the last of the guests to arrive. Including the one she did _not_ want to think about.

She was about to close her eyes when she heard a flutter of movement in front of her tent flap. "If Sokka is demanding I make another ice sculpture, tell him to go ask Grandpakku," she mumbled, face stuffed in the numerous pelts.

"Don't worry, I was not sent here by anyone," Suki soothed as she walked in. "Katara, I wanted to talk to you about something..." She trailed off, and Katara sat up, her healer instincts taking over.

"Are you worried about the new one?" she asked.

Suki looked at her blankly for a second, then laughed, rubbing her hand subconsciously over her not-yet-swollen belly. "No, no, it's not that at all," she replied.

Katara relaxed her shoulders and rolled her head around to loosen up her neck. "Thank goodness," she said, then sat still. "So what is it then?" she asked, truly curious.

"Well, it's about the other day, you know, when I found you asleep at your desk?" she managed to say without taking another breath. Katara bowed her head; of course she remembered. "I don't mean to pry or anything, but I just wanted to know about that necklace." Katara barely nodded, and Suki continued. "Katara," she said gently, as if Katara was a fragile glass bowl that could shatter or explode at any moment. "Was it... is that necklace from Aang?" When Katara didn't move, she continued. "Or, was it from somebody else?"

Katara sniffed, and lifted her head, staring out the small hole in her roof used to let out smoke. "How is it possible to love two totally different people at one time?" she whispered finally, her posture one of a person who has waited along time to ask that question. Suki sat down next to her and wrapped her arm around Katara's shoulders.

"I don't know," she admitted. "Your brother would be the better person to ask." Katara's eyes widened in shock and horror. "I won't tell him, don't worry about that," she added hastily. "I merely meant that... well, I know that a part of him still loves Princess Yue," she said, thoughtful. "I have no idea how dormant or active that half is, but I don't care. As long as he still loves me, too, I'll be here for him." She glanced down a Katara, and grinned. "Of course, I also understand that it's rather hard to be married to the moon," she joked. They giggled together for a second before becoming thoughtful.

"How hard would it be... to be married to the Avatar?" Katara wondered aloud.

Suki squeezed her shoulders. "I'm guessing fairly hard," she answered. "But it must also be hard to be married to a person when you are always thinking of another." Katara nodded solemnly, and sat up.

"Thanks, Suki," she said, giving her sister-in-law a tight embrace.

"Anytime," she replied. They had just pulled away when they heard the commotion outside and Sokka burst in.

"Come on!" he cried. "The men on the Outer Wall have spotted Appa, and the fishermen are returning!" He grabbed Suki's wrist, and she grabbed Katara as they sprinted through the new roads Katara had helped make since returning home. They reached the village square just as Appa was coming down to land. Gran-Gran practically tossed Yuki into her mother's arms and grabbed Katara's hand as the Sky bison touched the ground. Aang bounced off Appa as if was loaded into a catapult, and the other two travelers jumped off with ease. Aang was taller, she saw, and Iroh was looking trimmer every time she saw him. She sucked in a lungful of sharp, freezing air, and let her gaze rest on the Fire Lord.

His skin was parchment pale, as if he hadn't been outside since before the last battle. His golden eyes still burned with an inner fire, but that blaze had dimmed down to the merest flicker of a candle's flame. _I'll bet anything it was mostly Mai's fault_, she hissed in her mind. He had grown almost a full head taller since they had last seen each other, and he looked more like the Fire Lord than she had ever believed he could. As she was staring, his eyes found hers. She felt as if she was floating in golden skies, like a peaceful cloud, and she never wanted to land. Gran-Gran helped there by squeezing her hand ever so slightly. Katara glanced down, but couldn't help peeking through her lashes at that scarred, handsome face.

_Zuko_, she breathed in her mind.

"Avatar Aang, Fire Lord Zuko," Sokka began, playing the role of the Water Tribe chieftain. "Welcome to our humble village, and thank you for coming to join us to celebrate a very special day." He bowed, and Suki tried to do the same while still holding on to their daughter. Aang and Zuko returned the bows, but as they rose Aang sprinted forward to hug Sokka. Zuko joined them, and soon Toph, Ty Lee, Suki and Yuki, and even Bumi were all hugging and laughing. Appa growled gently, and proceeded to lick every single person in that group hug at one time. As they pulled apart, Iroh cleared his throat and tapped his foot impatiently.

Sokka glanced up, and gasped in astonishment. "Oh, but how could we have forgotten Tea Lord Iroh, come to us all the way from the Jasmine Dragon Palace, located inside the walls of Ba-Sing-Se?!" he exclaimed. He bowed low to the amused Iroh, who bowed back.

"Thank you for that kind greeting, Chief Sokka," he replied. "Now, I think I must drink some tea before I loose my title," he joked. The laughter rippled through the crowd, but none of them truly understood what was so funny. Katara smiled at her brother's antics, thinking how boring this village would be if Sokka, or her father, hadn't come home...

"I missed you Katara!" Aang cried, rushing to pick her up in a strong embrace. She returned it, and kissed him on the cheek.

"I missed you, too," she whispered back. He smiled, and moved on to greet all of his other old friends. Zuko stepped up to take his place.

As they hugged, he breathed two simple words into her ears that made the world come crashing down: "It's perfect."

Astonished, she pulled back, her hand flying to her throat. Her felt along the familiar silk, down to the smooth, round, flat stone, and traced the familiar emblem...

She gasped. With everything she had been doing the past two days, she must not have had time...

_I'm still wearing his necklace!_ she realized, her eyes wide and full of terror.


	4. Celebration

Katara's pulse was still racing as Aang grabbed her hand, leading her a little ways from the main group. She kept her free hand wrapped around her neck, hiding the secret Aang would notice immediately. He took her around the back of a building, and gently pushed her against the wall. She was looking down, her mind as frozen as the ground she was standing on. She felt warm fingers slide under her chin, tilting her head up to face he dark gray eyes.

"I've missed you," he breathed, leaning closer. Katara stood, numb, as his lips met hers. As their lips met, a shiver spread up and down her body, and she returned the kiss slowly. Pulling away slightly, she had to look up to meet Aang's tender stare. "You will never know how much I missed holding you," he breathed. She smiled, and pecked him on the lips. He kissed her back, his lips becoming rough, his grip harder. They finally broke apart, gasping for air.

"I love you," Aang declared quietly.

"I love you, too," Katara replied, her gut wrenching. She knew she was only telling half of the whole truth. They smiled together, and walked back to the now-smaller group, hand in hand.

"Aang! There you are, little buddy," Sokka cried as they came into view. "Me, Toph, and Suki decided we wanted to take a quick ride on Appa with Yuki, but Zuko wants to go start unpacking." Katara saw that Zuko was glaring at the ground, as if he was trying to burn a hole through it and disappear.

"But what about Katara?" Aang asked. She thought she saw Zuko grimace when he said her name, but quickly pushed that from her mind.

"Forget it, Twinkle Toes," Toph cut in. Katara noticed, for the first time, that she was now as tall as Suki. "You and Sugar Queen can have your mushy reunion Appa ride later. For now, leave her here."

Katara didn't know whether to thank her or snap at her. "Toph's right," she said to Aang as he was about to protest. "We can go out together later. Besides, I do have a lot of stuff to do to help get ready for tomorrow."

The Avatar shrugged. "Okay, if that's what you want to do." He turned back to Appa and helped empty the saddle.

"Thanks," Zuko said after the packs had been unloaded and Appa was fading into the distance. "You didn't have to do that." Katara kept her eyes on the ground, heaving the nearest pack onto her shoulders and trudging away.

"I honestly don't mind," she retorted as they turned the first corner. "Aang was here a little while ago, but Sokka and Suki were gone. It's been ages since they were last up, I didn't want to take it away from them."

She thought she had had him fooled for a few moments. "Aang's too trustworthy," he muttered, loud enough for her to hear. "He lets himself believe almost everything people say."

"Are you saying that's a bad thing?" she snapped, turning her head back, but not enough to see him. "Is it bad to trust people?"

"Not at all," he replied calmly. "But too much trust can make a person blind to the truth."

Katara knew what he was referring to, but pretended not to. They turned another corner and arrived at the guest area of the village. She walked to the house on her immediate right and slipped between the pelts flapping in the snowy breeze.

"This is the kitchen," she said as Zuko walked in. "It's pretty much just for show since we usually all eat together when guests are here, but we made a special place for Iroh to make tea." She walked across the small living space, which included two furry sitting cushions and a coffee table in the middle with a stunning ice sculpture of a pandalily resting in a snow vase covered in swirling patterns. "The bathroom is here," she said, pointing to the only solid door in the whole house. "The water is cold, but I don't suggest heating it up unless you want everything to melt," she warned. "You fire benders shouldn't have too much trouble keeping yourselves warm." Moving to the next pelt-covered door, she pulled it aside for Zuko. "Your uncle's room," she explained after he had entered. She left to walk to the final door while Zuko put his uncle's pack away.

"My room?" he guessed as he joined her moments later. She nodded and walked in ahead of him.

"The desk has writing equipment, the wardrobe is empty, and that cupboard over there has extra pelts." He went straight to the window, and saw a large tent next to a house much like the one he was staying in, only smaller.

"That's my tent," she said, her back to him as she plopped the bag she was carrying on to his large bed. "The house is the one Aang stays in whenever he's with us."

While he stood at the window, she silently undid the straps of the bag on the bed. Pulling it open, she could not hold back the gasp that escaped when she saw what was on top. She pulled the small, lifelike painting out and gawked.

"It's you," Zuko breathed in her ear. She spun, tripping over her feet and landing on the bed. She could not stop staring at the picture of her.  
"How did you..." she began, staring at him now.

He glanced down, suddenly embarrassed. "Nobody else knows this but Uncle," he whispered. He lifted his gaze. "I'm... a fairly talented artist," he explained reluctantly.

Katara scoffed. "'Fairly talented' does not cover it," she assured him as she placed it back in the bag. She rose and walked by him slowly.

"Why did you wear it?" he said in a voice so low she almost didn't hear.

"I...I never meant to keep it on," she confessed. "I'm sorry if it upsets you, I can go change it right now..."

"No, I'd prefer to see you wear it," he told her. "But I suppose it's best if you don't."

She glanced at him again, then turned again for the door.

"Wait-" Zuko called. She stopped, spinning around to come face-to-neck with the Fire Lord. "Do you remember," he asked, "when Azula challenged me to an Agni Kai for the crown? The day Aang defeated my father." Katara nodded slowly. "Do you also remember when I jumped in front of Azula's lightning for you?"

She snorted. "How could I forget?" she replied, stung that he would think that she could forget the day he had saved her life. "But what-"

"I just wanted to let you know," he continued, "that I would still take any hit that comes your way." He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and pulled her into a short embrace. As they separated, Zuko bent his head forward to kiss her on the forehead. Katara blinked blankly at him, then rushed out the doors. He watched her go, even walking to the window to see her enter her tent. He sighed, wishing she had been able to stay as he turned to prepare for the party later.

* * *

The party started with a lavish dinner, the main course being a giant crab that Pakku, Katara, and the two water benders Arnook had brought as guards had finished preparing only moments ago. The Southern Water Tribe, along with the rest of the world, was still recovering from the Fire Nation invasions. For the Water Tribe, it meant that they were still in dire need of more water benders. Arnook had brought the young, promising men as an early gift for Yuki's birthday, but Sokka had decided to instead keep them on as students for Master Pakku, who was planning on staying, and Katara, if she chose to help. Already the boys had started to flirt with some of the young girls, and Zuko was sure that they would not mind staying after all.

For the dining part, the arrangement of the seats was annoying for some and perfect for others. Sokka and Suki were, of course, in the middle of the long, main table, little Yuki held captive between them. Aang was on Sokka's right, and then came Arnook, Hakota, Master Pakku, and Katara's grandmother. Next to Suki was King Bumi, then Zuko, and next to him was Katara, Toph, and Iroh. The others were seated at long tables, the heads of each facing the main table, which rested on a raised dais. As the chatting died down, along with Katara's and Zuko's pulses, Sokka and Suki rose, holding an unusually-quiet Yuki between them.

"Thank you all for coming to celebrate our daughter's first even birthday." Sokka's voice rang out over the hushed crowd, and Katara was surprised, as always, to hear the commanding ring in his voice.

_He's becoming an almost exact copy of Hakota, _thought Zuko as Sokka continued.

"We chose to have the celebration under the cover of the stars and, of course, the moon," he began, "as a tribute to Yue, the princess of the Northern Water Tribe who gave her life to save the great Moon Spirit. She blessed our daughter on the day of her birth, granting her happiness, love, peace, and the protection of the moon. To show our thanks, we named Yuki after both of her mothers," he joked, grinning at his wife. She smiled back before continuing.

"This is also the day that Yue sacrificed her life to become the new Moon Spirit. Tonight, as a part of our celebration, Master Pakku and his student, Isamu, will preform a water bending tribute to La and Tui, the first water benders." As she spoke, Isamu and Pakku rose from their seats and removed their coats. Pakku was dressed in all black, white a large white circle on his chest, and Isamu wore all white with a black spot on his chest. A sheet of ice, provided by Katara, covered the 'holding tank' of the large crab in the center of the dining area for the two performers. As the men took their positions, Zuko leaned close to Katara's ear.

"Why are you still sitting here?" he hissed, barely audible over the slow beat of the drums. "It would make more sense for you and Master Pakku-"

"I didn't want to," she growled back. "But I did teach them all of the moves." She could feel Zuko's gaze on her face, and angled her head slightly to glare at him. He was still next to her face, and only backed away when she turned to glare at him. His expression was unreadable, it was flitting between so many emotions and thoughts. Katara watched him for a few moments longer before turning back to the performance; _her _performance. She truly didn't know why she had refused to join Pakku – _grandfather _- in the performance, but it had seemed... strange at the time. It still seemed strange now, to imagine herself performing for an audience, and not fighting or teaching. She had not wanted to be something to admire, and envy, if all she was doing was showing off for no good reason.

Before she realized it, Isamu and Pakku were bowing to the applauding crowd and returning to their seats and pulling their coats back over their heads.

"Wow, Sugar Queen, I'm impressed." Toph sipped her tea. "That was one of the most beautiful water bending performances I've ever seen!"

Katara smiled at the blind earth bender. "Why, thank-" Her gaze turned icy. "I hate when you do that," she growled. Zuko, Iroh, and Toph shared the same smirk.

It was time to present gifts to little Yuki. First, Hakota and the rest of the Southern Water Tribe sang a chant in an ancient, trilling tongue, saying that they would help raise the girl to be a strong, healthy, powerful member of their tribe, and would die to protect her. The song was one that was sung at every child's first birthday, if they survived that long. As their voices died down, Arnook presented Isamu and Kishi, the other water bender, as protectors for the whole village, but especially for the chief's daughter as a sign of the deep bond between the sister tribes. King Bumi brought a huge hunk of the finest pure white marble on behalf of the Earth King, and added a large crate of rock candy. Toph brought the belt buckle she had won at Earth Rumble Six and a lovely leaf-green kimono made from Earth Kingdom silk. Aang was giving them Momo, as a sign that the Avatar would always return to their tribe. Yuki took to the little lemur immediately, and Momo seemed happy to be with her as well. Master Pakku offered his services as a water bending master to the chief and his family, Gran-Gran had hand-woven a blanket with swirling, dancing patterns of blue and white, and Iroh had gifted some of his finest herbal teas to help her bones grow strong and to cure colds. Zuko walked forward to present his gifts, and saw his uncle wiping a tear from his eye; he understood, better than anyone, how fragile the life of one's child could be.

"Sokka," he began. "I present these gifts of weaponry," he said, holding out two bundles, one long and one with an angle, "in hopes that your daughter may, one day, be as adept at wielding them as her father is." He winked as Sokka gasped, then walked back to his seat. Sokka gave a strangled cry of surprise as he unwrapped an ebony sword and a Water Tribe boomerang.

"Behold!" Sokka announced, holding both weapons high over his head. "Space Sword and Boomerang! The very same weapons that here used, and lost, in the Final Battle against the tyrant Ozai!" The people of the water tribe cheered. They had all heard the stories of the sword made from space rock and the trusty boomerang that had saved their chief's life many times.

A hand rested on Zuko's knee. "That was very sweet of you," Katara whispered.

Zuko peeked at her smiling face, and shrugged. "It was the least I could do," he muttered.

Bumi cackled next to him. "I knew I should've given them one of my magic Instant Crystal Prison rings," he wheezed. "How is a hunk of rock and some candy supposed to beat out a sword made of space rock?"

Zuko looked at Katara questioningly, but she just shivered and shook her head. It was too painful to talk about.

Suki gave Yuki to Gran-Gran to be put to bed as the tables were cleared away for dancing. Musicians from all of the nations began to play, and even Iroh played a little piece on the Sugi horn. Zuko danced, dutifully, with most of the older, powerful women and plenty of younger girls that were present before Toph cut in.

"Butt out, airhead," she ordered, stepping onto Zuko's feet. "Sparky's mine now." He smiled, glad that Toph was there. "By the way, would you mind warming up your feet a bit? I can't feel mine."

They twirled around the dance floor, Zuko holding onto Toph so she wouldn't fall. "If I did that, this whole place would melt," he said, steeling a glance at Katara as she twirled with a boy from the Northern Tribe. "Besides, you could just wear thicker boots."

She scoffed. "It's bad enough that my mom has to lead me around like a blind dog. I don't want to be completely blind." Zuko rolled his eyes. "Besides, if I wore thicker boots, I wouldn't be able to feel your and Sugar Queen's hearts racing every time you even think of each other?"

Zuko leaned in closer. "How much do you know?" he hissed.

She shrugged. "Everything. The necklace. The letters you write then never send. The fact that Aang is still Captain Oblivious over there with some water tribe chick." Zuko turned and saw his friend, the savior of the world. He didn't see him as a rival for the woman he loved. "You know, he's going to propose to her," Toph said softly, snapping him out of his thoughts. "What do think she's going to say?"

He snorted. "She'll say yes," he said, his voice confident. "She has to. We both agreed that being together would be bad for-"

"But she can't," Toph cut in. "She's already engaged to you. And I'm pretty sure that there's a law up here that if you're engaged to two men or something, you're executed." She blinked up at him. "How are you guys going to get out of this one?"

He scowled, dancing forgotten. "I don't know!" he snapped. He picked her up and carried her across the dance floor. "Here," he snapped, dropping a kicking and protesting Toph into Aang's arms. "Watch her for me."

Storming out the main doors, he let his feet carry him around the growing village until he was thoroughly lost. Finding a shadowy corner, he sat and pressed his face into his palms. Toph's voice still rang in his ears.

_How are you guys going to get out of this one?_


	5. Good Bye

It had been a few days the party for Yuki. The Royal Air Balloon (renamed since the war was over) was expected the next day now, ready to return the Fire Lord to his country, his fiance, and his palace-prison. He and Iroh were packed and planning on making the formal good-byes that night at dinner. Zuko had barely been out their house, and had not seen Katara at all. He reached across his bed and pulled the painting of her out from it's hiding place. It was too old, he realized. How much she had changed. His mind added the new curves to the picture, his finger tracing over her chest, sliding down to her hips. Yes, she had definitely changed since that day in the Earth Kingdom.

"Zuko?" Iroh's voice echoed off the ice walls of the main room. "I made us some tea if you would like it." Zuko listened to the clatter of dishes as Iroh placed the loaded tray on the ice block that served as a table.

"Yeah, I'm coming," he replied, putting her picture away as he walked out. Iroh had already poured him a cup as he folded his legs underneath himself. He had just started to take the first sip when he heard the crunch of snow under booted feet outside their doorway.

"Come in, come in," his uncle called, rising to greet their new guest.

Zuko spit out his tea as Katara slipped through the skins and brushed her hood off her head. He managed to keep most of the tea off of himself, but enough splattered his overcoat to make the dark spots noticeable.

"Please, sit down," Iroh continued, ignoring Zuko's antics and putting her across from him. "I'll just be right back," he said, as he walked down the hall. Zuko grimaced and poured Katara's tea as he heard the door to their small bathroom close softly. As he handed it to her, their fingers brushed, and both dropped the cup as they felt the shock of static that jumped between them.

"Oh, crap, sorry-"

"I'm so sorry, I-"

They both stopped, expecting the other to finish. Finally Zuko started to rise. "I'll go grab something to clean this," he muttered, but Katara raised her arm to stop him.

"No, really, it's no big deal," she said, and bended the tea back into her own cup. "I can even take care of that," she offered, smiling, and bended the tea he had spilled on his coat into an empty cup. "There, that's better."

"That's a lot simpler than back at the palace," Zuko commented a he held his tiny cup in both hands. He saw that she was listening, so he elaborated. "If anyone spills anything, at least five servants show up with the finest clothes to wipe up the spill, replace the whole pot of tea, wipe the table, clean the clothes, and mop up the floor." They shared a chuckle, remembering the days they had spent taking care of themselves in the air temple. "Your water bending just saved me what would've been ten minutes of grief at the palace."

Katara shrugged. "It's not a big deal," she assured him. Looking up, she smirked. "It's nothing like redirecting lightning," she joked.

Zuko nodded in agreement. "Or stopping the rain and turning it into ice daggers that dangle inches from a man's face," he retorted.

They laughed together. "Oh, for those easy, happy days again," she sighed. He chuckled, raising his tea cup to that. As their laughter died down, Katara put her cup on the table, folding her hands in her lap and watching them closely.

"So," she began quietly.

"So," Zuko replied, waiting.

"Is it true then?" Her question was asked so softly Zuko almost missed it. Their eyes met then, and they were lost in swirls of blue and gold. Zuko realized that there were dark shadows hidden in the deepest depths of Katara's eyes, shadows and secrets and feelings that were usually covered up with smiles and laughter. As he saw this, her question hit him, as if she had smacked him across the face. "You're marrying Mai," she said calmly, not asking, not accusing. He turned away, letting her gaze at his flame scar.

"I have to," he whispered. His voice sounded pained, as if each word he said was stabbing his heart. "I have no other choice. I love her," he finished, his excuse sounding lame to his own ears.

"Liar, she murmured, too soft for Zuko to hear.

But that was the truth, wasn't it? Zuko did love Mai, but did he love her enough to _die_ for her, as he had almost done several times for Katara? He was suddenly angry that she was putting him on the spot like this. "So what about you? Are you still with Aang?" he snapped, only realizing too late how harsh he sounded.

But instead of snapping back, Katara hung her head, her expression upset. "I don't know," she finally whispered, her voice rough.

Zuko leaned across the table, and slid his hand under her chin. Gently pulling her face up, he tried to look sincere as he said, "Tell me." She gave him a half smile, then reached into her coat pocket. She pulled out two necklaces that resembled the one he had... recovered for her; one had a circle in the center with two smaller orbs on either side. Carved in the middle were swirls that reminded him of the whirls in the water when the bath was drained. His eyes jumped to other. This one had simple insignias of all four of the elements, and in the center was the kanji for 'love.' He could only guess who had giving her this one.

"The one with the swirls is from Hahn, the Northern Water Tribe boy that Arnook brought. He said that I could take the place of Yue for the Northern tribe if I accepted him." She picked up the other necklace. "And this one, of course, is from Aang." She watched it dangling for a few moments. "Now you see?" she asked, her voice pained.

"Well, I'm sure why this Hahn guy even tried," Zuko finally said when the first initial wave of shock had slid off his body. "He really doesn't stand a chance against the Avatar."

She looked at him, one eyebrow arched. "Toph told me that Hahn would be the better choice," she countered. "It would forever join the two tribes, and I could help them recover from the loss of their princess. Plus, being joined with the Avatar would not be the easiest relationship." Hope flashed through Zuko. Were they fighting? Had she finally realized that Aang only held a puppy-dog admiration for her? "You're trying to capture him showed me that." Oh, yeah. That.

"Still, a boring non-bender against the Avatar?" he scoffed.

She laughed. "You know, I once had my fortune told," she told him, her eyes thoughtful. "The lady told me that I was destined to marry a powerful bender." She smiled. "I guess you can't get much more powerful than the Avatar."

He smiled back. "Well, you know, those Dai Le can be pretty powerful," he said, his eyes teasing while his expression stayed serious.

"So is the Fire Lord," Katara added. Zuko kept his eyes on his tea.

"Do you really mean that?" he finally whispered. "Am I still in the running, or are you coming here to ask me to give up?" Katara's eyes widened. "I can take it back, if it would make your life easier." He was careful to keep all emotion out of his voice as he said this. She was already having enough trouble picking between two serious marriage proposals; he wasn't going to make her feel obligated to a promise that they both knew could never happen now. He risked a peek at her face, and was pleased that it was not tear-streaked as he had thought it might be. She looked... well, frozen.

"Oh," she said, her voice flat. "I suppose... that would be the best thing to do." She reached up, and unclasped the black silk that surrounded her neck. He held his hand out as she let it slip through her fingers onto his palm.

"So, that's it then," Zuko sighed. Katara nodded.

"I suppose that hearts do change," she replied absently.

_Wrong!_ Zuko screamed in his head. _You are completely wrong! How can you do this!_ Aloud he said, "Yeah, I guess so." They sat in silence a little while longer, then Katara leaned across the table.

"Hey, Zuko?" she said, her voice hesitant. "I'd like to have something to remember you by." Zuko snapped his head up to meet her hungry eyes.

"What-"

Her lips on his made speech impossible. The icy static jumped between them again, and Zuko melted the table to be closer to her. Katara made no protest, only pulled him closer.

All too soon, Katara's eyes flew open and she sprang away as if Zuko had burned her. "I..." she stammered. "I am... so, so sorry about that." Zuko stood, and Katara replaced the burned strip in the table with a new ice surface, freezing his knees inside. "I should...I need to go," she finished, turning and fleeing out the front door. Zuko stood, too stunned to move. His fist clenched, and a round stone bit into his palm. Opening his balled-up fingers, he saw the glowing white stone with their secret symbol carved on the smooth surface.

* * *

"My Lord?" The captain halted a few feet away from Zuko's stiff figure. "We expect to be landing at the palace momentarily." Zuko tipped his head in response and waved him away. He counted the amount of steps it took to leave the viewing deck, and released his sigh. So, they were almost back to his home. In a matter of days he would be a married man, a true Fire Lord with his Lady by his side. It seemed like only yesterday that he had first arrived at the Southern Water Tribe, and now it was all over. He shook his head, imagining how upset Iroh would be if he was allowed to sleep through the night landing. He always said it was his favorite part of the trip, especially when it took place under the stars. He turned away from the huge windows, and almost walked into Iroh.

"Are we almost there?" he asked.

"I was about to come get you," Zuko replied. "The captain said a few minutes-"

"Good," Iroh cut in. "I needed to talk to you." Zuko arched one of his eyebrows, but continued to listen. "I...I noticed how upset you were right after tea the other day." He glanced up at Zuko's carefully guarded face before finishing. "Did you two have a fight?" Zuko shrugged.

The Fire Lord thought back to the moments after Katara had fled. Iroh had returned to find his nephew unfreezing his legs from the table. Iroh had asked him what had happened, but he had locked himself away in his room, not speaking and not coming out until the dinner that night. He had managed to weasel out of his uncle's questions thanks to Toph, surprisingly, and had gone to bed early. His uncle had never brought the topic up since. "It's none of your business," he replied, his voice emotionless. Iroh nodded slowly but said nothing else, as he was too absorbed in watching the landing procedure. Zuko was thankful for the distraction.

It was a complicated process, one that he and his uncle never grew old of watching. The right amount of air had to be released from the large balloon as the men on the landing dock threw hooks to catch the cab at the bottom. As they pulled, the men in the furnace room were constantly adjusting the size and heat of the flame. The deep bellows of the men working echoed through the metal hull. Always, at the last moment, when the whole ship was dead silent, relying totally on the ground crew to pull the huge airship to safety, Zuko was sure that they were going to miss the landing dock by just an inch, that one of the ground crew was going to slip or lose his grip, or some other tiny disaster. But the always, somehow, managed to dock safely.

"Another perfect landing," Iroh praised, grinning. His nephew only grunted.

As soon as the doors were opened, Zuko waved off all of the official greeters and did not slow his quick pace until he had reached the sleeping quarters. He paused briefly in front of Mai's door, but did not knock. He knew she would be extra grouchy if he woke her in the middle of the night. She could be upset in the morning, once she was finished with her beauty sleep. He walked slowly past the grassy courtyard where he had literally grown up. His eyes wandered over the water, the grass, the tree, and continued upward. He paused at his own window. He could see a faint glow coming from it, and assumed that the servants had been notified about his early arrival. He was glad.

"It's going to take me a week to thaw out completely," he muttered as he continued on his way to his doors. The guards that were usually outside were missing. _Odd_, he thought. _If they knew I was coming, then why didn't they send for the guards? _ He shook his head, and pushed the heavy wood inward.

He froze, his hand still wrapped around the giant gold ring.

The shifting figured under his sheets stopped as well.

"Zuko," the woman half breathed, half hissed. Mai slid off the bed, her dress slid so far down her arms that he could actually see a bit of cleavage.

Hide, however, was shirtless, and his pants were halfway down his legs.

As the guard scrambled to replace his clothes, Mai came closer to Zuko. "I didn't think you would be back until tomorrow," she said, her voice as sweet and innocent as it could possibly sound.

"Apparently," Zuko growled. He felt a fire pulsing through him. It was burning him, flaming away in his soul as violently as it had when he had been hunting the Avatar.

Too bad it was unable to torch his heart; he could feel icy claws dragging, ripping, shredding away everything he had ever felt for the wrench before him, anything he had ever felt for anyone.

She reached out to touch stroke his arm. "Hey, Zuko, this is nothing-"

"Shut it," Zuko snapped. He grabbed Mai's wrist and yanked it up so her fingers were level with his eyes. "Then I guess so was this." He pulled the engagement ring off her finger and chucked it into the fire that blazed softly compared to the one burning under his skin.

"You," he hissed to Hide, now fully clothed. "You are dead. In the eyes of your family, your friends, and the entire Fire Nation, you are dead." Hide said nothing, his face perfectly blank and emotionless; what a good little soldier boy he had been. "And you," he hissed at Mai. She pulled back, and he let her go. "If you are ever seen inside the capital city again, you will be burned on the spot. Is that clear?" Mai nodded dumbly, then fled, Hide right behind her. Once they were out of sight, Zuko let himself collapse.

Sitting there, on the floor, under the light of the stars and the new moon, he let the tears he had held in since that day with Katara roll silently but steadily down his face.

He was alone, a man without a heart.

A truly terrifying monster.

A deadly tyrant, more deadly than his father had ever been.

There was no one for him now.

And he welcomed the solitude like an old friend, one he hadn't know since _those_ days, only four short years ago.


	6. Choice

**A/N: I just felt like telling you all that this story is being powered by Eggo waffles. I have a major weakness for them...**

**Also, I has a story! While I was trying to finish the rewriting, my sister came in and asked me to come help her pick out the shirt she's going to wear tomorrow for school pictures. As I walked in, telling her that the shirt doesn't really matter since you can't see most of it anyway, I felt something snap under my foot. Yelping, I cradled my foot and hopped to the bathroom as the blood started to flow from the cut. My sister and I were yelling at my mom to come help for (I'm pretty sure) a good 3 minutes before she came walking up to see me, my foot dripping into the bathtub, and my sister, walking around her room in her shoes. It turns out that I'd stepped on a piece of the lightbulb that had decided to explode in my sister's ceiling fan. Huh. Fun stuff. And no, I needed no stitches. I now only have a little band-aid on it, and it's just fine. Anyway...**

**Hooray, chapter 6! This ended up being 5 pages, by OpenOffice standards. I think I rewrote over half of the original story! If you ever look up this story on deviantArt (where I originally posted it) PLEASE don't read it! It's a year old there, and besides, the rewrite is much much prettier, with much fewer grammar and spelling mistakes. Enjoy!**

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"The dress looks amazing, Gran-Gran." The old woman's wrinkled face formed a smile as she took in the tall, lithe figure of her granddaughter, soon to become the wife of the Avatar.

"It helps to have such a beauty in it," she replied. Katara smiled back, then turned her gaze back to the mounds of blue-and-violet silk that covered her body. The dress was simple in design, with a base of deep midnight-blue and a long, flowing sash of deep violet. Silver flecks represented the stars, and glimmered as she moved. The bodice was cut fairly low, and edged with the same violet that was wrapped around her middle. Underneath all the finery, almost five layers of cloth were rubbing against her skin, to keep her warm as she walked down the main street of the village and onto her wedding boat where the actual ceremony was held. And there, encircling her neck like a thick, flat snake, was the necklace Aang had carved for her. She reached up to stroke it absentmindedly. She had worn it everyday since Zuko...

But she was not going to think of that anymore. They were just friends; he was now married, as she would be in just another month, and she knew that she did fully love Aang. _Then what are you afraid of?_ an inner voice demanded. It sounded very much like a certain fire bender she knew. She told that one to shut up. _Just admit your fears and face them,_ a Toph-like voice offered as Gran-Gran helped her off the short modeling table and into the back/wedding room. She told the Toph voice that it wasn't that easy this, and to go mind her own business. She slid herself out of the bottom of the dress, thinking again how happy she was that she was a peasant, and therefore not required to wear dresses as ridiculous as the lovely gown every day.

As she placed the dress back in it's special wardrobe, she heard a loud, low grunt, and the higher-pitch cry of Aang as they returned from picking up the last of the guests. She rushed to pull her tunic and overcoat on again, bursting out through Gran-Gran's house in her haste to see her betrothed. Sliding around an icy corner, she yanked out, and then dropped, the pin that held her thigh-length braid coiled on the top of her head. The building she was running along was casting a long shadow, offering perfect cover for the gloved hand that snapped out and propelled her backwards into a slim, but hidden, gap.

She was about to bury her assailant into the snowy wall when he hissed in her ear. "Wait, wait! I only want to talk!"

Katara stiffened, but relaxed when the man's arms fell away from her face. "You could have just talked to me out in the open," she growled, facing Hahn's serious face.

"Well, I know that," he replied. "But this way," he smirked, "is much more fun." Katara rolled her eyes, and his grin disappeared. "But honestly, I needed to talk to you in private." The water bender made no movement, so Hahn continued. "I just... I was just wondering... why?" Katara crossed her arms and raised one eyebrow. "Why are you marrying the Avatar all of a sudden? Why after four years of peace, of being together? What's the rush?" The woman sulking in the shadows gave no sign that she had even heard the Northern Water Tribe warrior's complaints.

He was about to repeat his questions when she shifted. "I'll give you two reasons," she hissed menacingly, her mouth twisted in a crooked grin. If she had been looking at her reflection at that moment, she would have been stunned to see her resemblance to the Fire Lord's crazed sister. "The first is that, while Aang was lost for 100 years, he was frozen at twelve for those 100 years." Hahn would have been fighting laughter if not for the daggers being thrown at him from her piercing blue eyes. "And secondly, _it's none of your business_." The last words seemed to rip out of her throat. She stood for a moment more, making sure that she had sufficiently scared Hahn into submission and quiet, before turning away to leave.

"Whoa," he cried, reaching to grab her arm. She didn't even bother to turn to face him. "You know, if... if it doesn't... well, if it... just remember that I'm always here, waiting. Along with the rest of the Northern Tribe." He walked past her. "It is, after all, where you actually belong." Katara felt her heart stop for a full two beats. Was he _serious_?! Consider him? Actually, if she had chosen him, she would have been married to the whole Northern Water Tribe, as their new princess. Hahn did have a point; since her grandmother had been born in the North, that was where she really did belong.

_"I don't know why Hahn even tried. He really doesn't stand a chance against the Avatar._"

Zuko's voice flashed through her mind. Of course, he had been right. Who could refuse to marry the Avatar!? The master of all four elements, the most powerful and respected man in the world! She had met hundreds of girls who had whispered nasty, snide comments about the peasant the Avatar was fawning over. Aang did love her. Could the same be said about Hahn? Did he really want her to marry him, not just to be a trophy wife? She turned to read Hahn's face, but he was gone, his footprints leading away from the center of the village. Her mind swirling, she continued on her way at a much more subdued pace.

* * *

Night came quickly for the happy couple and the excited village. It was the night of the new moon, and the night that brides of the water tribe celebrated as their last night of freedom before their marriage. Katara had chosen to spend the night with Suki and Toph.

"I wish we could've gone back to Ba Sing Se," Toph complained as she took out the crate of fire whiskey she had 'secretly borrowed' from the Fire Lord. "Now that's a city that knows how to party!" She passed out the clay cups and poured the first drink of the night. "Bottom's up!" she saluted, gulping down the burning liquid without even the slightest wince. Katara spluttered a bit, but Suki nearly coughed up a lung after her first tentative sip. "This'll make you even more of a man then your wimpy hubby," Toph promised as she poured the next round.

"So, Katara," Suki said as she put down her cup, avoiding the killer liquor. "Are you excited?"

Katara gulped down her third round. "Excited for what?" she asked, her speech slightly slurred.

Toph and Suki shared a look before rolling their eyes. "Uh, hello? Marrying Twinkle Toes!" Toph leaned forward, her sightless eyes pinning Katara down. "You don't love him, do you?"

The bride-to-be scowled. "How could you say that! Of course I love him!" How could they be doing this to her so close to the wedding?! She didn't need anymore mixed feelings, not now.

"Really?" Suki seemed to be getting used to the feeling of fire shooting down her throat. She slammed the cup on the make-shift wooden table. "What happened to Mr. Hotman?"

Katara's jaw hit the floor. "How did you-"

"Oh, please, Katara. Just because I'm not a bender and married to your brother doesn't mean that I'm an idiot. Besides, I've been in charge of other girls for a long time; I had to be good at spotting which one was swooning over which man and vice-versa. It was pretty obvious from the start that he loved you so much that it was going to kill him someday." She waggled her eyebrows. "Didn't he jump in front of a bolt of lightning for you once?"

Katara hung her head. "And he saved me from a falling boulder." Toph refilled her cup again, and Katara gulped it down. "But we knew it could never happen. Not for us. He has to marry the woman he's been betrothed to since before he was banished. And I... I do love Aang. We can make this work. I can do a lot of good while I'm at his side. He loves me; what more could I ask for? I won't hurt him by holding onto a love that can't happen. I already gave the necklace back to Zuko. I've let it all go." Her voice became softer. "It's only Aang in my life now."

"Yeah, but won't you miss out?" Toph smirked as she sipped her tea. Suki giggled.

"I... don't get it." Katara watched, baffled, as her two friends collapsed against each other in a violent fit of laughter.

"Is it true what they say about powerful men and their..." Suki glanced down between her legs.

Katara blushed, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. "My lips are sealed."

The three of them erupted in a sea of laughter.

* * *

The sun was not even peaking over the edge of the great Sea Wall of the South Pole. Katara opened her eyes slowly, not wanting to release the last shreds of her glorious dream. She sighed. _If only I could remember it, _she thought sadly. Sitting up, she reached for her ceiling until she heard the quiet _pop_ of the bones in her back, arms, and neck resettling themselves. Sitting, she gave her brain a few moment to wake up.

She was getting married tomorrow.

Her stomach fluttered, but not in the happy way. Feeling strangely nervous, she flicked her sheets away from her legs and crawled out of the sleeping pelts she used. Before trying to tackle her hair, she slid her thick overcoat on. "I give up," she hissed after a few moments of wrestling with the knot attached to her head. She stormed out into the relative quiet of the early morning, hunting for her soon-to-be husband.

"There you are," she exclaimed as she reached the docks. The early morning fishing boats could be seen in the distance, and the gulls were just starting to cry for scraps. Appa was saddled, Aang's small pack already tied down. "Is something wrong?" she asked. "Are you needed somewhere else?"

Aang shrugged at the first question, and shook his head at the second. Katara's brow furrowed. Aang never failed to actually answer a question. Ever. "Aang, something's up. I can feel it."

Aang sighed. "Katara..." he began. She waited. "I... I have-" he stopped. "I went to the Spirit World last night." He turned his head as far away from Katara as possible without moving. "All of my past lives were there. Kuruk, Yangchen, Kyoshi, and Roku mostly. The rest were just..." he trailed off, as if he had forgotten what he was even talking about. "They told me about my future. Our future," he added softly.

Katara nodded. "And?" she demanded. He was starting to scare her.

"They told me..." he couldn't finish. But he had to. "My seventh chakra isn't fully unlocked. I have to let go for it to fully open." He turned his head slightly towards hers, but kept his eyes on the ground. "I have to let go of you."

Katara's heart stopped for a full beat, then began again at a hyper-active rate. "What..." She struggled for words. "Why? Why us? Why now!" she cried.

"I wish I knew." Aang met her stunned gaze. "I just have no choice," he cried, his voice ragged.

Katara nodded dumbly.

Aang looked down a moment longer, then jumped onto Appa's head. "Yip-yip," he managed to choke out. As the Sky Bison rose higher and higher into the clouds, Katara felt her grip on reality, her control of her grief slipping.

"How...dare...he..." She stammered, clenching her teeth. She pressed her nails into her palms so hard that it drew blood. "It's not... it's just... I..."

She walked as if she was the living dead through the familiar streets. Her feet carried her back to her room. Though she wanted sleep, she was too upset to calm down enough for that at the moment. She stood in the middle of her floor, unable to do anything. Her mind had shut down, nothing was working properly. Her feet were chained to the floor.

She looked down, trying to see the chains that held her there. Instead, an idea whispered, soft as a summer breeze, in her otherwise empty head:

_Escape._

So she did.

Pulling her fist back, she launched it at the poor, defenseless ice beneath her feet. The echoing _crack_ brought her some satisfaction. _Oh dear_, she thought, staring at the vein she had created. _Should fix that, in case __anyone stumbles across it_.

Sucking all the air she could in through her nose, she bended the ice down, down, to form a hole just big enough for her body to slide down. After a few moments, she was able to feel the water, so far down, sloshing against the new hole in the thickest part of the ice.

It was easy bending air bubbles around her head. Besides, it wasn't as if she was going to live under there forever.

Laughing at the absolute simplicity of the plan, she gulped in her last lungful of fresh, frosty air for a long time. She took everything that restricted her hair out and tossed it on her sleeping pelt. _This is my choice_, she thought. _I will never regret this day. I will always remember this moment. The moment I did something good for myself._ As she stood on the edge of insanity with her long, dark hair blowing slightly around her, the crooked grin on her face resembled that of Azula during her final day as Fire Nation Princess.

She took the step.

And fell...

And fell...

And fell.

She welcomed the total, icy dark. It consumed her, numbed her mind, froze over her heart. She stopped thinking, stopped reasoning. She could remember nothing.

She was glad.

* * *

The tiny figure, curved like that of any full-grown woman, skimmed the surface of the inky waters again. And again.

Tobe nudged his snoozing watch partner. "Lookit!" he exclaimed, pointing to the person in the water. "See her? It's a mermaid!"

Ji rubbed the last bit of sleep from his eyes. "A mermaid, eh?" he replied. Tobe nodded furiously.

"Look, look, there she goes again!" His cheeks were flushed with excitement.

Ji merely rolled his eyes. "Idiot," he said. "Look at her legs. Aren't mermaids part fish?" he challenged. It gave him a sense of triumph, watching Tobe's face loose all of its momentary joy. "What she _really_ is," he continued, walking away from the railing towards the pile of nets in the center of the dock, "is one lucky bitch. Help me drop the heavy one down. we'll catch her like the slippery little fish that she is."

The men chuckled as the dropped the net exactly over the girl's startled face. Hauling her up took no time at all. "Why, the gel's not much heavier than a feather," Ji exclaimed. The net reached the inside of the rail, and the girl, covered in water and hidden in tangles of dark brown, thigh-length hair, glared at her 'rescuers.' "Now, ain't she the prettiest fish you ever did see?" Ji chuckled. Tobe nodded in agreement, his hungry eyes roving over her scarcely-covered body.

"What's going on?" an elderly man's voice called out.

The two men stiffened, freezing where they stood. "The general!" they hissed together, fear showing plainly on their faces.

"What's this?" He came to a stop in front of Ji. "A little late-night fishing, it seems."

"Well, you see, she was swimming-" began Tobe.

"Actually it looked more like floundering helplessly to me-" Ji cut in.

"But we couldn't just leave her-"

"So we grabbed out best net-"

The general held up one hand to silence them. "I think I understand." He turned toward the woman, who was staring pointedly at the deck planks. "Now would you mind telling me why you were in the water, my dear? We can help return you to your home." She stiffened when he said "home," and shook her head violently. "You don't want to go back?" the general guessed. She nodded. "Well, then," he continued, cheerful and friendly, "can I at least look at the newest guest on board the _Jade Dragon_?" he asked. She slowly, hesitantly, started to turn her head towards his voice. "Don't be afraid," he crooned. "We will not hurt you." She tilted her head towards his. "Water tribe, maybe?" he mused aloud. "Of course, I won't know for sure until I see her eyes," he added, a bit louder.

Haunted, deep blue met wise, ash-grey eyes. They both gasped. "It can't be..." the general muttered. The woman was struggling to find her voice.

"I...I..." It was all too much. Katara collapsed on the deck of the _Dragon_, wet, naked, and, strangely, safe.


	7. Surprise

Zuko was tired.

Dead tired.

Tired and _bored_.

It was a deadly combination.

He let his mind float away from the droning voice of the young general before him. It was the monthly report on the activity in the Fire Nation waters, and Zuko had heard the same thing for the past year.

"...while a large storm did halt the progress of most of the trading vessels, all cargo was safe and..."

All that really changed was the weather report. It was only normal storms this time, but last year there had been a typhoon...

"...everyone was returned safely." The man grinned, seemingly pleased to have to deliver yet another long, monotonous, satisfactory report. Zuko looked at the man's face through the flames surrounding his throne. He was in his early twenties, not bad looking, fit, and already a highly ranked officer. Everything Zuko had once dreamed of becoming. How times had changed.

"Thank you for the report, General Fa," he said, finally. "You are dismissed." The man was beginning to get fidgety. He bowed, and retreated as a messenger sprinted down the aisle to the flaming throne.

"Forgive me, my Lord," the man huffed as bowing, "but-"

Zuko held up one hand. "Please, wait until you are ready." He didn't feel like listening to a message that had to be gasped out.

"Thank you, sir," the man sighed, relieved. It only took him a few deep breaths to compose himself. "I apologize for bursting in, but you asked to be alerted the moment General Iroh returned from the Southern Sea..."

"When did he arrive?" Zuko sat up, pleased that Uncle had returned so quickly. Finally, something interesting, but also curious. What had caused him to return from pirate-hunting so early in the season?

"Ah... quite recently, sire. He is on his way up here right now..."

"Tell him to meet me in my chambers," Zuko ordered, rising from his seat. The man bowed quickly and sprinted away again.

_It is much too soon for Uncle to return, _he thought as he put out the fire that circled his throne. _Did he find something that had to be brought here? An old officer we believed to be dead? What if... _His eyes widened in horror. What if it was _her _that he was bringing back!? No, she wouldn't be anywhere near the Southern Sea. Last he had heard, she was still out in the wilderness of the Earth Kingdom. Beside, Uncle would've sent a messenger hawk ahead to prepare Zuko for their reunion.

The throne room was just down the hall from his own chambers, but he still had almost a full guard bunched around him as he paced down the dark red carpet. He felt claustrophobic with so many men a finger-length away from his body. He sighed when he, at last, reached the large double doors that had always been able to block out the rest of the world. As soon as he entered, he made for his house-sized closet. He yanked the heavy chest plate off, tossing it carelessly on its stand. He undid the sash around his waist and let his robe fall to the floor, sighing. How he missed the loose traveling clothes he had used to wear. He pulled the pin out of the crown, but left his bun on the top if his head.

As the door opened, Zuko spun around. His mind started to calculate all the possible enemies that could have just entered, but the sound of Iroh's rambling voice soothed him.

"...I'm sure. Zuko, are you here?" Iroh called out. The Fire Lord managed to calm his breathing before stepping out into his main room.

"Right here, Uncle. What brings you here so-"

Zuko's jaw went slack and his eyes nearly popped out of his head.

Sitting on his bed was the one woman he had never expected to see there. Her wild, chocolate-brown hair flowed down her back and was splayed crazily around her head, as if it was suffering from a bad case of static. She had lost a lot of weight; her tanned skin was stretched taunt over her bones. She was clothed in a thin bolt of green material and shivering slightly, as if it was not close to 90 degrees outside. Her eyes seemed to be wandering around the room, but he could see that their gaze was fixed on something far, far away.

"What..." Zuko could not believe his eyes. She appeared to only have hours left to live. At the sound of his voice, she tilted her head towards him. Blinking quickly, she came back to the present. She peeked up at him through her long, dark lashes and stray strands of hair.

Her eyes widened. "Zuko..." Her voice was hoarse, as if she hadn't used it in a long time. Her eyes glistened with tears as she continued to gaze into his warm, golden eyes.

"Katara." His fiery voice was thick with emotion. He felt rage, pity, and elation all in the same instant.

Uncle watched the two for a second longer before clearing his throat loudly. "I'll go get some refreshments for us," he said, rising quickly. Zuko watched him go, but Katara kept her eyes on the face of the Fire Lord.

Only when the door clicked shut did Zuko turn back to her. He cautiously moved to sit on the bed, his arms splayed out as if she would bolt at any moment. Katara watched his hands with wary eyes until she realized why they were where there.

"I'm not a feral animal," she snapped, her voice still soft and rough. _I guess she hasn't looked at her reflection lately_, he thought dryly. "I'm not going to lunge at you or run." Her eyes, which had been so dead only moments before, were now flaring up at him. _Just like old times._ Zuko smiled and let his arms fall to his side.

They sat in silence for a few moments. Zuko felt the heat of Katara's gaze as it wandered subconsciously over the sculpted lines of his broad chest, down his arms, across his stomach, down to his lap...

"So," he began, his voice huskier than normal. He still was not used to talking to grown woman in a comforting manner. It had never been useful with Mai, who had been so devoid of any emotion whatsoever that fights had never lasted long enough for feeling to be hurt, or she had merely been angry no matter what he did. "What brings you here?" He knew it was a lame question, but he wanted her first-hand account. It was always prudent to go straight to the source for information.

"Your uncle," she replied sarcastically. She looked down at her twisting fingers, her eyes becoming clouded. "It's... well, it was... it's a long story," she murmured. She gulped in another deep breath, ready to continue, but Zuko pressed two fingers to her lips.

"It's okay," he reassured her. "We can wait for the drinks to come up. Your voice is still sore, anyone can hear that. Tea would definitely help." Katara stared at him blankly, then giggled shortly.

"You have no idea," she told him, "how much you sounded like your Uncle just now." Zuko was taken aback for an instant, but grinned back.

"His wisdom was bound to rub off sooner or later," he replied, shrugging his shoulders. As he said this, a light rapping was heard on the thick doors. Iroh poked his head in, a grin covering nearly all of his face.

"Cakes and mint tea," he proclaimed, pushing the door aside to accommodate his bulky tray. Zuko sprang from his seat, taking the tray from the elderly general's hands and setting it down on the desk. He pulled the cushioned chair out and started to move it next to the bed, but Iroh restrained him.

"I have other matters to attend to," he explained, smiling apologetically. "I will leave you two alone. If you wish, she can take the empty house," Iroh added solemnly to Zuko. He nodded. "Good-bye for now," he promised, turning to quickly leave them alone.

Zuko poured tea for them both, while Katara watched. He held the cup out to her, but she ignored it.

"I never noticed before," she whispered, almost to herself, glancing up at Zuko quickly. "How much you've changed since we fought your sister together." Zuko winced at the memory; he still had the scar from that battle. "Your voice changed," she continued, "and your hair..." She reached out to catch a strand between her fingers. "I've never seen you with so much of it." He snorted. "I mean, first you were bald with a little ponytail, and then you just let it grow to your ears."

He snorted. "Well, it was this long the last time we met," he pointed out.

She blinked in surprise. "Oh. Yes, I suppose it was. I guess you just had it hidden under your hood the entire time." She peaked up at him again. "I just thought that you would have the same hair style as..." Her voice trailed off, as if she had forgotten what she was going to say.

He snapped his head away, yanking his hair out of her feeble grip. "I keep it this long for that very reason." His voice was rough.

"I..." Katara reached for his shoulder, but stopped. "I'm... sorry, I- I didn't mean it. Just ignore me." Her voice dropped. It seemed that she was talking to herself. "I'm crazy now."

"No your not," Zuko told her vehemently, not fully believing his own words. "Trust me. I have the craziest person in the world for a little sister."

"Zuko, Aang broke off our engagement the day before the wedding, so I made a hole in the ice and have been living in the ocean for the past moon."

The Fire Lord blinked, at a total lose for words. He was waiting for her to laugh and tell him how gullible he was, but her eyes were completely serious. "He broke off the engagement?" he finally said. It was the only thing he could force out; his mind was still reeling.

"He said that his past lives told him that he had to let me go. Loving me was affecting his Avatar state, I guess." She shrugged. "It was actually pretty fun, living in the ocean. After two weeks, I was a stronger swimmer than ever before. I could hold my breath just as long as a turtle seal, and ride waves better than even a tiger seal." Her eyes sparkled as she remembered. He looked down, trying to imagine what it would have been like, living in the very waters he had called "home" for most of his banishment. "That was how Iroh's men caught me." Zuko looked up, surprised to hear this. "I was wave-riding, and they dropped a net on me, as if I was a fish."

Zuko couldn't blame the men for thinking that way. He imagined Katara would be a sight to see, leaping through the waves, naked, like some Spirit-world creature from a wondrous dream.

"I was frozen, literally." A small smile played on her lips. "My body had become so used to the freezing temperature of the polar seas that anything else feels... wrong."

Zuko nodded. "Which explains the shivering." She shot a questioning glance at him.

"Shivering? I'm shivering?" Holding out her hand, she gasped as she watched it shake violently. "I guess the whole 'not eating' thing isn't helping me, either," she mumbled.

"What?!" Zuko's sudden cry made Katara jump against the wooden headboard. "How long has it been since you last ate?" he snarled. His eyes blazed, and Katara swore she could see the steam coming out of his nostrils.

"Well, I remember the sunrise of my first day in the ocean I had a fish. Nothing seemed good enough to try to hunt it down while I was living in the water." She watched the flames in his eyes turn into a full-blown forest fire. "I didn't need anything," she snapped. What was his problem?!. "The moon gave me energy! Her light helped me survive for as long as I did. It's the same as fire benders with the sun. You told me that once."

Zuko's temper spluttered out as quickly as it had flared up. She would bring that up, even after all these years.

_You rise with the moon. I rise with the sun._

What an annoying, arrogant brat he had been. How had his uncle put up with him? How had anyone, for that matter.

He relaxed his tense shoulders. "I'm sorry about that. It's just, well, I was upset that you haven't eaten in such a long time." Why hadn't his uncle tried to feed her?

"Of course Iroh offered." He glanced at her. Could she read minds? "He all but shoved food down my throat the whole trip here. I just... wasn't hungry." She shrugged it off, as if not eating for over a month was no big deal.

"Well, try now," Zuko replied. She tried to protest, but he was already bringing her a cup of tea. "Liquids are best at first," he lectured. "To get your body used to any source of nutrition again."

Katara took the little cup in one hand, her lips twitching. "Since when have you been a healer?" she muttered, but sipped the milky green drink.

"Don't take too much," he added. "You're body's going to reject much in th-"

A loud banging on the doors caused Zuko to spin, his stance protective, and Katara to jump again, spilling half her cup on his bed.

"My lord?" a man called, his voice muffled by the thick wood. "I am sorry, but the replies to your invitations are all accounted for. Do you wish to review them?"

Zuko sighed. He could never escape work for too long before it came looking for him. Out of the corner of his good eye, he saw Katara bending a stream of dark liquid out of his sheets and back into the cup she held.

"Fine," he snarled, more annoyed with the interruption then he had realized. The man slid in through a narrow crack in the door, dropped a large sack on the floor, and shuffled out in less than 2 seconds. _Wow, am I really that scary? _he thought, watching the man shut the door. Just before it clanked shut, the man stole a frightened glance over Zuko's shoulder.

Figures. The men must have been around, telling the stories of the human fish, and how they all had no choice but to reel her in, stark naked and everything. _I need to find new help, _he mumbled inwardly as he padded towards the ominous-looking bag. "Invitations?" Katara asked. "Are you having a party?"

Zuko flinched. She would ask, wouldn't she? "It's nothing. It's... it's a new cloth pattern that the seamstresses want me to.. ah... take a look at." He shrugged, flicking the huge sack next to the seat by his desk. It was going to be a long night.

She rolled her eyes. "Sure," she replied, not bothering to remind him that his servant had said that they were invitation. She quietly sipped the last of her tea. "You didn't have to be so mean to that poor servant. He was only doing his job."

Zuko chuckled, pouring himself a cup of tea and sitting in the chair by his desk. "I need to keep them fearful, otherwise they'll start to get lazy and rebellious."

Katara scoffed. "I don't know how it works. You couldn't hurt a spiderfly even if it bit you."

"It works as long as they think I'm my father's son." He pulled the strings of the sack apart, and hissed. So many pieces of paper! How many had Uncle put on the list? He caught glimpses of Earth Kingdom and a Water Tribe seal. He must have been busy rounding up more guests while hunting pirates.

"Wow," Katara breathed. Zuko jumped. He hadn't even heard her get up and walk across the squeaky wooden floor. "That is a lot of guests," she said, stunned. "Is it your birthday party?"

He shook his head. He hoped she wouldn't see through this little lie. "It's... well... it's a... a spring festival." He glanced up, and she cocked her eyebrows.

Shrugging, she turned back to the bed until her gaze fell upon the doors to his terrace. Katara walked slowly to the double shutters and pushed slightly. They flew open, and she gasped.

"Boo," the dark man growled, his crooked grin gleaming in the faint light of the waxing moon. His lean body was tall, even when hunched over in a cat-like crouch, and he had twin swords lashed to his back. Before Zuko could react, the man held a cloth over Katara's face, and she collapsed into a heap of hair on the floor.

The Fire Lord bolted to Katara's side, trying to revive her. "You might as well let her sleep," the man offered, shaking out dirt from his closely-shaved hair. "She looks like she could use a few winks."

"I would prefer it if from now on she went to sleep the natural way," Zuko hissed through clenched teeth, lifting the water bender's body as if she weighed no more than a young child. "And what did I tell you about spying on me?"

The man chuckled, leaning against the wall. Shrugging, he replied, "I couldn't help it, Boss. I have a job to do. And since when did you bring strange women into your chamber, Your Highness?"

Zuko snorted. "If I was anything like my father, Feng, you would've had your tongue cut out a long time ago," he retorted as he laid Katara out carefully on his bed. He pulled the blankets over her skinny form and turned back to the black-clothed man who was standing casually.

"Which is exactly why I serve you and not him," he retorted with a snort. "Which, funny enough, is why I had to intrude on your private evening." Zuko rolled his eyes. "He's getting more powerful," Feng continued, all joking gone. "Not in fire bending, but in influence. He already has quite a few of the older guards convinced, and is starting to work on the more senior officers. Of course, it doesn't help that _she _is still out there..."

"I already told you why I can't have you chasing my sister all over the world," Zuko cut in. "I need you here to watch him. She's not a threat anymore. Ty Lee wouldn't have let her leave if she thought it was dangerous. We need to be ready for when he decides to make his move." Feng nodded stiffly.

"Well," the spy said, breaking the brief, tense silence. "If you don't need me for anything new, I'll be on my way." He turned back to the window.

"Oh, do you have a private evening planned?" Zuko folded his arms and raised an eyebrow.

Feng grinned back, laughing softly. "What do you think?" he retorted. Zuko waggled his eyebrows.

They both laughed. "Tell your mother hello from me, and remind her that we always have a place for her here, whether it be for food or a safe place to stay."

"If only she would listen," Feng grumbled. "She claims that Nala hates living in cities."

He gave a quick salute as he slipped into the darkness. Zuko shook his head. Always, it was only his mother that he cared for. _Poor guy, _he thought as he turned his gaze back to the sleeping woman in his bed. _Never been with another women since... _Katara stirred softly. Zuko hesitated for only a moment before leaning over to press his lips into her tangled hair. She sighed as she drifted into an even deeper slumber. A warm smile pulled the corners of his mouth up as he turned back to his desk.

_Time for another all-nighter, _he thought as he pulled out the first reply. An Earth Kingdom seal, with the words "Bei-Fong" printed across the parchment.

He groaned, and dropped his head into his palms. His uncle was in a world of trouble.


	8. Awake

**A/N: **YES!!! I AM STILL ALIVE!!! Life just got a bit crazier than I had expected, but oh well. Here it is! Then newest chapter! I hope you all enjoy! It's the longest yet, and has gone through the most editing. Was going to be longer, but then I added too much so it needed to be split up into 1 and 1/2 chapters. Chapter 9 will hopefully be up much sooner!

* * *

Katara slept in Zuko's room for the rest of the week. He didn't mind, but sometimes it was as if Katara wasn't... herself. Some moments she would be her usual self: sharp, fierce, strong, but soft and caring at the same time. But more often than not, she would just sit, listless. It was as if she didn't know what to do anymore. Every time her soft whimpering woke him up in the middle of the night, he cursed Aang and all of his past lives for messing with Katara's gentle heart like this. He felt more and more helpless when it came to trying to help her recover from her broken heart. Whenever he tried, he was sure he was just making worse for her. He knew she needed to see a different kind of healer; he just didn't know what kind.

Of course, the palace staff had their own opinion on what kind of "healing" the Fire Lord and the Avatar's former fiance engaged in behind his doors.

"The only reason servants think royals are always getting laid is because they wish they could get some action," Zuko muttered darkly to himself. He stormed into his closet to change for the formal dinner he had to attend that evening. Normally, he would be dressed by his servants, but he felt it was best that they not come into his room while he had another woman staying in it.

"Oh. So you have heard the gossip." Zuko paused as his undermost robe fell to the floor.

"Katara?" he called out. "When did you get here?" He poked his head around the doorway. She was sitting up on his bed, her legs crossed loosely in front of her. Her mass of hair was slightly ruffled, as if she hadn't bothered to dry it properly after her practicing. _How did I not see her before?_ he wondered silently.

She blinked. "A minute before you did." He motioned for her to explain before popping back into the closet to continue changing. "Well, I was done bending for the day (Zuko guessed that some people had come tromping through the palace garden where the river she practiced her bending was) so I walked to the palace walls. They gave me a very nice tour before one of the captains escorted me back here. So I sat down and decided to wait for you to show up to find out whats going on tonight." Zuko heard the sheets ruffle slightly as he tied his blood-red sash around his waist. He was still topless, though. "I know that my staying in here is the reason the servants are gossiping so much," she continued, her voice softer. "I'm sorry that I'm causing you so much trouble."

"You don't have to say those words to me," he said so she could just barely hear.

"What words?"

"'I'm sorry.' They've become your favorite words to use ever since you got here. You haven't even done anything" He stepped into the doorway, leaning against the frame with his arms crossed. "I don't want to hear you tell me that while you're my guest here."

"Oh. Well, I'm sor-" He glared. "I apologize?"

Zuko rolled his eyes. "It's a start, I guess." He started to turn away. Her voice stopped him.

"Does it still hurt?"

His hand flew instinctively to his left cheek. "Does what still hurt?" he replied, his voice almost a growl.

"Your chest." She was now standing directly behind him.

He turned slowly to meet her gaze. "Oh," he breathed, his hand falling back to his side. He'd almost forgotten about that scar. But only for a moment. Shrugging, he replied, "Very rarely." Katara's brow pinched. Zuko knew it meant that she was concerned. In her rough, round-about way when it came to his wounds. "Occasionally, when I bend lightning, I'll feel my chest kind of twinge-"

"When was the last time it hurt?" she demanded, her voice steady and commanding. Zuko almost grinned. This was the Katara he remembered from their teenage years. The healer that never took no for an answer. The strong, caring person he had grown fond of. Too fond of, actually.

He blinked, trying to give her a good answer. "Uh, well, I think its been a few weeks..."

"A few weeks?!" she exclaimed. "Why didn't you tell me?!"

"I haven't had to bend any in a while! I just didn't think about it-"

"Think about it?! What's there to think about! Either it still hurts or it doesn't! And in your case, since it obviously still hurts, it's a major problem!" She reached up, latching her fingers onto his good ear. Yelping and complaining, he was dragged over to his bed. "Sit," Katara commanded. Zuko decided it was best to follow her orders as she bent a thin stream of water in a halo around her hand. He recalled receiving a whip shaped just like that to the rear one too many times.

As he sat, the water twirling around her fingers started to glow. It wrapped around her hand like a glove. "This may sting a bit," she cautioned. He nodded, recalling the night she had first healed this scar. She pushed him down, explaining that healing the stomach area worked best when the patient was relaxed. Zuko couldn't hear her actual words. His pulse was rushing in his ears. She was so close, so very close. How many times had he imagined her here with him? How many nights had he dreamed of her next to him on this very bed?

"Zuko," she called softly. He bit back a moan. "I need you to relax." She paused. "_Now._"

Her sharp tone snapped him back. Of course. Why had he even begun to think that way? He forced his tensed body to slowly loosen. "There. Perfect." Her hand floated just inches from his chest. The water seeped over his wound, as sharp and burning and cold as a bolt of electricity. He felt it cover almost his entire torso, the increased blue light casting strange shadows across Katara's face.

Then it started. He felt as if the glowing was inside of him, coursing through his entire body. He was floating through the sky, the warm air pulling him higher and higher. He sighed deeply, letting all of his muscles go limp. He could not control them anymore. It was so warm, so peaceful...

Lightning flashed across his eyes. He bit his lip as he came crashing back down. His whole body felt as if he had been struck by his sister's bolt again and again and again. His back arched, his hands grasping the bed sheets in desperation. He tasted blood, but whether it from his tongue or his lips was unknown. A force tugged at his abdomen, yanking it upward, drawing all of the electricity to that one spot, that _one spot_ that was one fire, that was so cold it burned him-

-until nothing. He felt nothing. He fell back down heavily, the bed bouncing under his weight. His mind settled, the white pain he had been unable to see past only moments before suddenly gone. A groan escaped his lips, and his fingers slowly undid themselves from the wrinkled sheets.

"I'm sorry."

Zuko's eyes flew open. Katara leaned over him, gasping, sweat beading her brow. It had obviously taken a toll on her, healing his wound from Azula. Glancing down at his chest, he could still see the scar splattered across his chest. So her amazing healing powers still had limits. Hearing her panting, Zuko sat up to wrap her in his arms. He idly noted that, for the first time since he had become Fire Lord, it wouldn't hurt to do sit-ups in the morning before fire bending. "You have nothing to be sorry for," he said vehemently. "_I_ was the one who made you come. _I _was the one who challenged Azula. _I_ was the one who jumped into the way of her shot. It was all my fault." He touched his lips to the top of her head.

Katara shivered slightly at his kiss. "You never _made_ me come with you," she said, pulling away enough to watch his golden eyes. "I said I would come. I was the one who was too close to your duel. I should have just stayed back-"

"But in the end, it was _you_ who defeated her." He placed his warm hands on her flushed cheeks. "I never should have asked you to come in the first place. That was just me being selfish and not wanting-" He broke off, tearing his eyes and hands away from her. He rose swiftly and started to walk to the closet.

"Zuko." Her voice stopped him dead. "Tell me." He turned slightly. "Finish your sentence." He heard her take a shaky breath. "_Please_."

The need, the heart-wrenching plea in her voice caused him to turn back. "Are you sure?" he demanded, his voice soft and unsure. She blinked, her eyes starting to glisten. "I asked you to come because... because I..." He looked down, then back up at her. "Because I couldn't stand letting you go off with _him_. I wouldn't have been able to focus if I was always thinking of what was happening to you. If you were the one who was battling my father. If you had to take on his air ship armada. If you were stuck on the sidelines, ready to heal Aang when he got himself hurt. It was enough to drive me insane." He paused for a breath, surprised at how fierce his voice had become. "I wasn't going to lose sight of you again."

There. It was out. Everything. All the secrets he had kept locked up. All the feelings he had tried to fight against and sort through all those years ago. Now she knew, too. She knew what she had done to him, what he had been thinking during the final months they had spent together. What she was still doing to him, right here in this very room. Everything now rested in her hands.

He had handed her a piece of his heart. He was waiting to see how she would take it.

"Zuko..." Her voice was tinged with scolding, but overpowered by pleading, calling him closer, trying to comfort him from across the room. He took a step towards her.

A thick fist pounded against the door, making the two people inside jump. "My Lord, are you almost ready?"

His uncle had no idea how lucky he was that Zuko had not taken after his father. "Relax! I'm nearly ready!" He hurried back into the closet, hiding his face so Katara couldn't see his blush.

As he threw his top robe on, he heard the door creak open. "Why, hello there Lady Katara! And what brings you up here?" Zuko could perfectly picture an image of his uncle's eyebrows waggling mischievously.

Katara laughed, causing the Fire Lord's heart to flutter happily. "I was just healing the injury Zuko received from his fight with Azula," she explained. He slammed his shoulder guards on a bit harder than usual; he was sure they were going to be bruised the next morning. "Who is the Fire Lord dining with tonight?"

"Oh, just some more nobles from the Earth Kingdom. The last of the guests arrived not two hours ago." Zuko hurried out into the main room. "Well, finally!" Iroh exclaimed. "I was beginning to think that you were going to play sick like you used to when you were younger!"

Zuko rolled his eyes, but Katara grinned at the thought of a much younger Zuko feigning sickness when they had the best doctors and healers in the entire kingdom. "Come on, Uncle, we have to leave now."

A hand grabbed Zuko by his shoulder straps. "Not with armor buckled like that you're not." The water bender's nimble fingers danced across the leather straps, reworking them into the proper arraignment. Zuko shivered from the slightest brushing of her finger tips against his back.

"Will you not be joining us this night, my dear?" Iroh asked, even though he knew perfectly well why she would not be going down. Trade agreements between Ba Sing Se and the Poles had not been the best since the war had ended, and relations between the two nations were strained at best. Nearly all of the nobles who had arrived came from the wealthiest families in the capital city. "The main dining room looks loveliest under the light of a full moon."

Zuko could almost hear Katara's polite smile. "Its not full for another night," she corrected him. "And besides, I really don't have anything to wear. Blue pelts clash horribly with pink and green silks." Well, that was one way to put it. "I'll probably go down to the ocean and catch some fish instead."

Iroh laughed, but Zuko rolled his eyes. "If that is what you prefer." He bowed, grinning deviously, and walked out into the hallway.

"If you need someone to start a fire for you, just call," Zuko teased as he bowed.

She rolled her eyes. "Please. I've been making fires on my own since before you could even think about bending any."

"I'm sure Uncle has a five-course meal planned just for you that the servants will bring up," he informed her, his tone serious suddenly. "But if you really are going down to the shore..." He walked to the door. "Try not to get captured by pirates again, okay?" He slammed the door shut before his slipper could collide with his face.

He chuckled to himself as he followed his uncle down the hall, oblivious to the smug smirk on Iroh's face.

"Jerkbender," Katara muttered as she picked up the slipper she had just chucked. Why did he always leave them in the middle of the floor? Sighing, she grabbed the pair and tossed them into his closet where they belonged. "How pathetic, using his door as a shield," she grumbled as she walked towards the balcony doors.

"_I'll save you from the pirates."_

How dare he! Seething, she flung the wooded double doors open, letting the night air hit her like a slap across the face. She noticed two dark shadows slip from under the shade tree to the covered hallway. "Secret tunnel, secret tunnel," she sang under her breath, her mind replaying exactly what Zuko had been saying to her before their own interruption.

"_I wasn't going to lose sight of you again._"

She remembered that moment, that one quick glance, in the caves under Ba Sing Se. Neither of them had wanted to see the other disappear again. Not when they had just been so close...

So close to what? To her using the Spirit Oasis water to heal his scar? To her giving in to the urge to touch his still lips with her own? To him, perhaps, following her and joining their side of the battlefield? There were moments where she wished that Aang hadn't found them when he had. She had never stopped wondering what could have happened between them if they had been alone for just a bit longer.

She sighed, leaning against the cold stone of the small balcony. Glancing up at the moon, or was it Yue, she let its light wash over her and clear her mind. Thinking of Yue stirred up memories of that night that she had tried to forget. That night when the moon had disappeared before Sokka's first girlfriend, Princess Yue of the Northern Water Tribe, had given her life to restore the fragile balance.

"_You rise with the moon. I rise with the sun."_

Remembering her first real fight against the then-Prince of the Fire Nation, she chuckled. If only the sun had waited a few more moments before peaking over the horizon... She was almost completely confident that she would have won against him then. She wondered how that scenario would have played out? The banished Prince, a prisoner of the last free nation in the world. The best bargaining chip out there, besides the Fire Lord or his favored daughter. Maybe, while he was their captive, they could have seen the good that existed inside? The kindness he had buried so deeply it had almost vanished entirely.

But no, he had remained his enemy while they ran across the world. He had been the face that had haunted her sleep, the ultimate danger on their journey. Somehow, she had ended up becoming one of his closest friends, staying in his room at the palace. How had a Water Tribe peasant from the South Pole ended up here? She could never have imagined this, even in her wildest dreams.

"And have you even _seen_ that girl he keeps up in his room! She's positively primal!"

Shrewd, piercing voices filled the peaceful courtyard, yanking Katara away from her long-buried memories. Two young women, dressed in Earth Kingdom silks, came tromping and snorting and guffawing out from their rooms. The resident mother turtle-duck and her harem of turtle-ducklings scrambled for cover.

"_I_ heard that they were the ones who finished off Crazy Azula, and that they've been secretly _married_ ever since!" said the woman who had a wide, upturned nose. Katara wondered if there was any primate or swine blood in her family tree.

"Oh! But I heard it started much, much soon than that!" the other crooned. Her sharp, squared face and gaudy face paint made her look like a man pretending to be a woman. "I heard that he snatched her up from her little peasant village and kept her as his prisoner – in his own rooms!" They fell over each other, shrieking and snorting with laughter.

Katara quickly ducked down to watch the girls from between the pillars. This was really her first contact with the outside world, other than Zuko and Iroh and the guards and servants, in who-knew how long. She was starting to realize why she had escaped to the dark, silent depths of the ocean.

"Well, I certainly can't blame Mai for sleeping with her guard," Hogmonkey sniffed.

"Yeah," Drag Queen agreed. "Of course, she only stayed with him as long as she did because he is the Fire Lord and all."

Hogmonkey guffawed. "Why else do you think I'm here?! Why else do you think anyone else is here?! Nobody here really wants to wake up to that horrific face every morning! The only reason I came is because he's rich and the leader of the whole Nation."

"At least you had a choice!" Drag whined. "My parents told me that would give away nearly all of my new silk gowns if I fussed about coming! I don't even want to become Fire Lady!"

"Oh, but I do! Just imagine all the new gowns! Look at this palace! This will all be mine soon!" As she spun around blissfully, Katara rolled her eyes, wondering if the shape of her nose limited the amount of oxygen that reached her brain. "It would be worth marrying Scar Face. Besides, he has a flawless body to boot!" She sat down on the bench, sighing. "But imagine having to wake up with that hideous thing so close to you on your honeymoon! I had _more_ than enough suitors at home with scar-free faces."

"Well, that _is _surprising." Drag and Hog squealed. Katara hadn't realized she was standing until it was too late to take back her heated words.

The girls measured Katara up and down, their eyes as cold and calculating as their parents in the court. "That's _her_," Hog hissed in Drag's ear. They buckled over in a fit of giggles.

Katara rolled her eyes, resisting the urge to seal their lips shut. "Don't you girls have some poor servant to order around instead of annoying the other guests?" she snapped. Their high-pitched noises were starting to piss her off.

"Why, yes, actually, we do," Hog called back. "Now hurry down, water wench, and fetch my outside slippers!" Her voice curled around a devilish smirk as Drag fell over in another laughing fit.

Katara couldn't help it. Her mouth started to twitch, so she bit her tongue. When that didn't work, she tried to bite her tongue. But it didn't help. The haughty laughter escaped her lips, wiping the looks of the girls' faces as if they had been slapped. "How stupid," she crowed. "Ordering around a Master. You obviously missed out on etiquette lessons."

"We're not idiots!" Drag snapped back.

_Wow, great comeback_, Katara thought. _Original._

Hog parried a moment later. "Well, we all know what you're a master _bender_ of," she taunted.

Katara's eyes narrowed, and her mouth curved into a most dangerous crooked grin. She spread her hands out before her, palms down and fingers curled against her palms.

"Bend this, bitches."

Her fingers flicked outward, the light of the moon lending them more power than usual.

_Swoooosh!_

The water from the pond erupting in one enormous tidal wave crashing over the heads of the two terrified court daughters, drowning out their shrieks. With dripping hair, running faces, and ruined silks, the girls ran hysterically back to their rooms to save themselves from any more humiliations. Katara decided to freeze the water in their hair solid for good measure.

A chorus of impatient quacks reminded her to put the water back where it belonged. She smiled as she watched the small family swim around the "new" pond. Walking back into Zuko's rooms, she collapsed on the bed in a fit of hysteric laughter.

It sounded foreign to her own ears, her laugh. It had been so long since she had laughed like this, even before she had accepted Aang's proposal. There had always been too much to do for her to stop and really listen to one of Sokka's jokes. There were always people to heal, meals to be prepared, washing to be done, boats to be rescued, nasty rumors to be squashed...

She sighed, recalling the shocking lies those girls had been sharing. The gossip was worse then she had originally thought, intensified by the fact that she did nearly everything in the Fire Lord's chambers. Tumbling off the bed, she walked slowly to the bathroom. "More like a bathhouse," she muttered, standing in front of the mirror wall. A bathtub, big enough for a seal-turtle to swim in, was just beyond the archway across the room from her. A long granite counter rested atop bamboo cabinets (a new invention for bathrooms) with deep sinks (also new). Katara walked to the far wall, covered by a mural of the mountains in the northern part of the Fire Nation. Running her fingers over the ancient painting, she could almost feel the wind brushing against the pine needles of the ever-green trees. Her hand rested on the gap between two mountains – an image she was sure she had seen before – when a wave of exhaustion came over her. On wobbling legs, she turned to lean against the wall before sliding down onto the cool, refreshing tile floor.

She banged her head on the wall.

And the wall collapsed.


	9. Secrets

Katara tumbled backwards into the darkness, giving out a small squeak of fear. Pushing herself up, she let her eyes adjust to the endless black before her. _What a random place for a tunnel_, she thought as she stood slowly. The dust danced in the flickering candlelight from the room behind her, and Katara stifled a sneeze. _Might as well_, she told herself as she took the first step forward.

A thin string yanked itself from under her foot.

A short, high-pitched scream escaped her lips as she jumped the rest of the way down the narrow passage. Her outstretched arms found the end, and she leaned against it heavily, panting, her heart threatening to jump out of her chest. "It was nothing," she told herself. "Nothing. Every thing is perfectly-"

Katara stopped talking as she, once again, fell through a wall. Coughing, she rose slowly as her eyes adjusted to the faint stream of moonlight coming through the heavy window curtains. Dust danced in the faint light, and Katara had another fit of light coughs. Judging by the expensive furnishings and convenient location, she guessed that this was the Fire Lady's rooms.

Everything seemed almost shabby in the spacious room. The dark, four-poster bed took up most of the space and was in the middle of the two large covered windows. A matching desk and a luxurious lounge sofa were placed on the opposite wall with a double door between them. Another, smaller door on the other side of the room led to what Katara believed to be the closet. Apparently, Fire Lords and Ladies shared their bathing quarters.

Walking towards the desk, she idly thought to herself that she would love to live in a room like this one. Nothing would have to be rearranged to fit her tastes, and she could easily bar that secret door against any midnight visitors. Her fingers brushed over the desk top, dislodging a thin layer of dust. A picture lay face-down in the middle, the dust blurring its edges.

_Don't do it_, her mind cautioned. _Don't. This is where Zuko's _mom_ used to live! Who knows what dark family secrets are still in this room! Don't do it! Don't_!

Her hand shot out and brought the frame into her line of vision before her common sense could kick in. What she saw took her breath away.

It was a family. A beautiful, normal, happy family. Fire Lord Ozai sat in the back, a handsome smile stretched across his face. On his lap, a lovely, sweet little girl wove her fingers between those of her father. Her smile could have lit up the room. Next to Ozai stood a striking woman with dark hair and the kindest eyes Katara had ever seen, apart from her own mother's. The woman had her arm wrapped loosely around the shoulder of a boy. He stood, his face radiating joy and love, unmarked by the cares and horrors of the outside world.

The difference between this young Zuko and the Zuko she had first met all those years ago were so shocking that she almost dropped the portrait. His smile was large and genuine, not shadowed with doubt or unease. His eyes were kind and innocent, and she could see that he was shifted slightly towards his mother, as if she was the center of the universe. But the most shocking part was the lack of the scar. His face was smooth and unmarred.

"Startling, isn't it?"

Katara jumped, squealing once again and letting the picture slip from her grasp. Zuko's arm shot out to snatch it up before it shattered on the floor. "How long have you been standing there?" she snapped, noticing that his formal armor was still on, the point on his shoulders threatening to gouge any bird who tried to land there.

"Not long," he murmured, his eyes on his family. "It's hard to believe that we all used to look like this." His eyes traced, probably for the millionth time, the happy, carefree faces of his broken family. His hand reached up to stroke his scar, as he often did unknowingly when thinking of his father.

"Do you miss them?" she asked.

He blinked. "Who? Them?" He pointed to his father and sister.

She shook her head. "I meant the people they used to be. The person _you_ used to be."

He looked at her, his eyes clouded. "No," he finally replied, his voice rough. "Not really. Looking back, it didn't seem.. real. Nothing seemed real. Well," he looked back at the portrait. "Nothing but how much they loved each other."

Katara looked down at Zuko's parents. Now that she looked closely, she could see that they were holding hands, their fingers intertwined so perfectly it seemed that they would never come apart. "I would have never guessed," she breathed. How could a man who obviously loved this woman so much scar and banish his only son? How could he try to take over the entire world?!

"She seemed to keep him sane." Katara peeked at the current Fire Lord's face. He was lost in thought, his eyes miles and years and lifetimes away. "While she was around, he was the storybook definition of a perfect, powerful father. When she left..." He pulled in a breath through his teeth. "When she left, it was as if all the demons she had held at bay came and tore away his soul in one night."

Katara placed her fingers on his arm, and his face seemed to shatter. He looked to her, and she immediately saw the face of the boy in the portrait; lonely, lost, and without the love he had known all of his life. Without stopping to realize what could happen, what her actions could lead to, she gathered him in her arms. Wordlessly, she told him she would always be there. Noiselessly, she conveyed her love to him. Unconsciously, she took his heart into her own, vowing to keep it safe forever. Thoughtlessly, she pressed her lips to his.

An electric charge jumped from his lips to hers. Gasping, they pulled away, his hands still resting on her hips. They caught their breath for a few moments, their hearts hammering against their chests as if trying to break through a wall. "Well," Zuko finally said, "I.. umm... I'll have the maids come clean up this room. Uncle invited every woman in the world of marrying age along with her family. It's the only room left in the entire city." He turned to walk away.

"Zuko, wait!" She grabbed his arm and felt his muscles tense under her touch. "I'm... I'm really sorry about... about what just...I..."

"Don't." He stopped, his shoulders sagging. "Don't apologize."

"Zuko-"

"Please." He turned. Katara's breath caught in her throat. His face was open, unguarded, and scared. Scared that she was apologizing because she couldn't feel what he had just felt pass between them. Scared that she was going to leave him again. Scared that he was going to be alone, just like when his mother and then his fiance had left. Just as quickly as his guard was down, it went back up, blocking her out of his world completely. "Come on, I brought you dinner." He continued to walk towards the passage. Thinking of the little things crawling across the floor, she hurried after him.

"Go ahead and eat." He pointed towards the tray of steaming food on his desk. Poking his head out the door, Katara heard him calling to the guards. "I'm going to change into something less formal," he explained after he closed the door, disappearing into his cavern of a closet.

"Don't you have any more formal chats or visits for the night?" Katara asked as she walked quickly to the food. Her stomach was growling for some rice.

A deep chuckle echoed through the cave. "I told every one that I was sorry, but I had urgent business to attend to before my... party tomorrow."

Katara swallowed her third bite of rice. "Oh, I'm sure the young guests were very disappointed to hear that their evening was cut short by business matters." She rolled her eyes and popped a dumpling into her mouth.

Zuko emerged from the closet, a burnt-red robe replacing his shoulder guards. "They all sighed and whined and begged for me to make it up to them tomorrow like proper court ladies." He caught Katara's eye. "Court _girls_," he amended. Nodding, she continued to devour the meal he had brought.

"I'm sorry." Katara froze mid-bite. Hadn't he just told her not to say anything about what had just- "I've been a poor host. I didn't realize you were so hungry."

She looked down at the food as if noticing it for the first time. The once-full tray was now over halfway empty. "Oops. I didn't realize I was so hungry either."

Zuko laughed as he at on his bed. "It seems that I feed the turtle ducks in the pond down there more than you." He stopped as he watched Katara choke on a bite of rice before loosing out to her laughter. Zuko smiled. Her laugh was always good to hear, even when it had been directed at him.

Finally she managed to gain control over her giggles. "Oh, it's nothing. I just made two new friends down by that pond a little while ago," she told him.

He sighed, dropping his head into his hands. "What did you do?"

"I didn't do anything!" she exploded. "It was those two prissy, stuck-up airheads who started it all!"

Zuko chortled as he reclined on his bed. "This I have to hear," he told her, his head resting on his hand as he stretched out onto his side. Katara thought that he looked like one of those men in the scandalous scrolls some of the raunchy women of the tribe had hidden under their pelts. She wondered if he had abs like they did...

"Hello? Story?" the Model Lord called from his bed.

She blinked, banishing her thoughts. "Oh. Right. Story." Her mouth curved, a wicked grin pulling at her lips.

She retold her little adventure with the two young palace nobles, leaving out the gossip including her and him sharing a bed. Her tale had Zuko roaring with laughter, which in turn caused her to nearly fall off her chair laughing with him. She hadn't ever seen him so relaxed, so at ease, so... happy. Not even that day at his Uncle's tea shop had he been as real and unguarded as he was here with her, laughing so hard the bed shook and his eyes teared up. But that talk with the girls had gotten her thinking. Thinking about dangerous subjects.

"Zuko," she said softly. His laughter died down slowly. It pained her to say this, but it had to be said. Now. "Zuko, what happened to Mai?" Silence. "Please, Zuko, I need to know-"

"Mai isn't here anymore." Katara looked up quickly, his emotionless tone causing her to worry. The Fire Lord now lay on his back, his arms folded behind his head. Anyone else would have assumed that she had left him on friendly term to go see the world with a long-lost relative. But she knew. She could see the locked jaw, the tensed arms. She could feel the anger rolling of him in burning waves; she could hear the rapid beating of his heart in his chest. Watching his eyes, she could see that there was a knife embedded in his heart, a knife _she_ had stabbed him with and left there, left to save his life while causing him so much pain that it was impossible to think, to move, to do anything but feel that pain coursing through your body while you lay helplessly locked in its ceaseless grip.

Katara understood. She understood better than anyone else what that feeling really felt like. She was the only one who could remember that pain, that moment when the person you devoted your life to decides that they don't feel that way for you anymore, when they tell you that you gave up your chance for a total new, completely irrational, inevitably perfect romance to be left alone. Utterly alone.

Rising fluidly, she walked to his bed and slid beside him, staring at the blank ceiling, watching memories dance across her unfocused eyes. Somehow, her hand found his, and they laid together in silence, their hearts aching as one, aching because of the one they had lost, aching for the one they had let go, yearning for the one on the other side of the bed. Sighing, Katara let her eyes drift shut. The Fire Lord looked over at her. Seeing her expression, he smiled and pressed his lips to her forehead before joining her in the realm of dreams.

* * *

"Katara," a voice called gently.

The mass of chocolate-brown hair shifted slightly and moaned grumpily. "Go away!" Her reply was muffled by her pillow. The hand on her waist shook a little harder. Her arm swung upward and collided with a muscled shoulder. Blue eyes flew open as a pale face leaned in closer. She sat up quickly, foreheads colliding painfully. "Oww!" she gasped, clutching her head and falling back onto the pillows.

"You said it," the man muttered. Peeking around her arm, she saw Zuko sitting on the edge of the bed, holding his head in the exact same position.

"Oops. Sorry, Zuko. I'm not really a good morning person." She sat up again, still rubbing her sore spot.

He grunted. "Yeah, I noticed the first time I tried to wake you." He turned to face her, and she saw the red, hand-shaped welt on his good cheek. "Now both sides of my face match," he commented dryly.

"Oh... Zuko I am so sorry!" Katara couldn't help but laugh. A moment later and Zuko was grinning as well. "Here, let me fix that." She had learned with Aang that this was a much quicker way to heal bruises and welts than to have to use a handful of water. The thought of what she had to do made her heart start beating faster. "Now, face me, and sit very still." He complied, his eyes blank. Before she could think any more, Katara pressed her lips to his cheek.

Whenever she healed, she could always feel an icy warmth passing through her veins to her hands. It felt, to her, like a cold spring morning; chilly, with a promise of warmth hanging in the air. As this feeling rushed from her very core to her lips, she felt her cheeks grow warm as she remembered that this was Zuko's cheek, not Aang's or Sokka's or Gran-Gran's. The feeling spread to the surface her lips were pressed against, spreading and making short work of the blow she had unknowingly dealt him earlier. As soon as the healing cold-warm feeling started to fade, she pulled back to examine her work and hoped she wasn't obviously blushing.

Zuko's hand rose to stroke his cheek, his eyes bewildered. His fingers lingered on the place where her lips had rested, and a look of joy passed over his features for a moment. "Thank you," he managed to whisper. His eyes met hers, and the hand on his face instead reached for hers. Katara leaned into his touch, her face now mere inches from his own. She recalled that moment in his mother's room from last night, and she now yearned to taste his lips once again. Slowly, slowly, he came closer, his other hand moving to her thigh. Her own hands now rested on his stomach, reveling in the solidness of the muscles just beneath his skin. Her water bending could feel the quickened pace of his heart, beating nearly as fast as her own. Her breath caught in her throat-

-just as the veranda door flew open.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY NEPHEW!"

The couple on the bed froze, their lips parted, unable to to anything for a moment. Zuko was the first to recover, snapping at his uncle as he pushed Katara behind his broad back. "What is your problem?!" he shouted. Katara could see his right ear was tinged pink. She hoped her olive skin could hide blushes better than his alabaster. She peeked over his shoulder to see Iroh staring at the two of them, a smug grin on his face.

"My apologies, My Lord," he said as he bowed, unable to wipe that ridiculous smile off his face. "I'll be taking my leave." He hurried out the door, looking back at them just before it slammed shut.

Zuko's shoulders sagged as he sighed and rubbed his hands over his face. Katara propped her chin on his right shoulder. "It's your birthday?" she asked, grinning.

"Arrggg!" He rose swiftly to pace the length of the room. "I told him that this was supposed to be kept a secret!" he huffed, flinging his hands into the air. "How could he do this to me?! And to think I actually believed that he's listened-"

"How old are you?" she asked, still grinning.

"Twenty. But no, he still knows what's best-" He stopped, turning. "Don't. You. Dare," he growled.

"But why not? Birthdays are happy celebrations- So that's why you're having the dance today!" she exclaimed. "Happy birt-"

"No!" He shoved his fingers over her lips. Glancing down, he jumped back, horrified. "What are you wearing?" he demanded, peeling his finger from her mouth to jab it at her body.

Shrugging, she looked down. Her eyes widened. She was clothed in only a low-cut blue tunic that barely covered her thighs. She shook her head, and felt her hair shake freely. She was certain that she had braided her hair the day before... She was certain that she had not gone to sleep in this outfit and was irritated that Zuko was suggesting something so stupid. Her eyes wandered up as she took in Zuko's outfit. "Well look at _your_ outfit!" she snapped back.

He glanced down, and seemingly just realized that he had only a pair of knee-length pants on. "At least I have a good excuse! I wore this to go fire bending this morning!"

Katara bristled. "So you couldn't have bothered to throw a shirt on when you came back?" she snarled. She was best at fighting in the mornings.

"It's not my fault you fell asleep on my bed last night!"

"And you seemed to have such a problem with it too!"

"Well, maybe I did!"

"You could have just picked me up and put me somewhere else!"

"What makes you think that I'd want to do that?!"

"Well, you've only done it every single time I've fallen asleep in here!"

Ohh, that one took him by surprise. Had he thought he was being sneaky just because she hadn't said anything? "Since when had my being topless bothered you?" he countered, looking too smug for his own good.

Katara felt her cheeks heating up. "About as long as my showing some skin had bothered you!" she countered.

His cheeks reddened as his jaw worked soundlessly. Haha. One point for Katara.

While the Fire Lord tried to recover from her crushing blow, the triumphant water bender rose from his bed and crossed the room towards the secret passage, making sure to swing her hips a little extra just to rub it in his face. Pushing open the panel, she saw that the cleaning staff had not been allowed to clean out this part of her new room. Sighing, she began to pull the door shut. "Oh, Zuko," she called suddenly. A moment later he stood in the bathroom, his arms crossed. "Happy birthday!" she shouted cheerfully as she slammed the panel in his face.

* * *

**A/N:** See, I told you it would be up before Thanksgiving Break! Kind of an intense chapter. It took me a while to get it all typed, so if it seems a bit choppy I apologize. I may go back later and edit it some more, but for now I hope you like it! Next chapter: The Ball

EDIT: Oopsies. I wrote some of this in 1st person... got confused with the other Avatar fic I'm working on. Fixed!


	10. Fights

Footsteps thundered down the inner halls of the Fire Nation Palace. Two men and four women, clutching hair brushes, pins, bolts of fabric, and dance shoes, raced through the home of the Fire Lord, all of them searching for the same woman.

"Lady Katara!" They all called out as quietly as possible while rushing around the expansive palace, careful to not disturb the royals or alert their lord that they had lost his favorite guest while preparing her for the birthday celebration.

The woman in question was currently sliding over the mud at the bottom of the waterlily pond. Making sure one of the flowering aquatic plants was over her head, she raised her eyes just above the surface. The herd of trackers emerged from the labyrinth of a palace and ran past just as she ducked back under where it was peaceful. Katara closed her eyes and let herself float down to the bottom. It was the most relaxed she had been since leaving her room that morning. The decorative fish swam around her body in comforting swirls, just as the creatures of the ocean had. She wove her hands into the muck, reveling in its soft, smooth texture. She smiled, remembering the day she had fought with the girl who had become a sister to her in less than a year.

The mud under her body suddenly started to harden. Katara tried to wriggle away, but it held her fast. Her arms and legs were locked together, limiting her bending and preventing any chance of escape. Lifting her up like a human sacrifice, she erupted from her watery hideout.

"Hide and seek is over, Sugar Queen. The coast is clear."

Katara flopped onto the shore, covered in water plants and grinning at the person who had blown her cover. "What a coincidence. I was just thinking about you, Toph." She laughed at the blind woman standing over her and wearing a ridiculous grin that was almost a smirk. "But did you really have to bring me back? I was enjoying myself down there."

Toph scoffed, rolling her eyes. "I never thought that a water bender would enjoy rolling around in the mud so much." She stood impatiently while Katara cleaned herself with the pond water. "Is that really clean water?" she asked finally.

Katara stopped, turning slowly. "Since when has the Blind Bandit cared whether the water I use to clean myself is pure?"

The Bandit rolled her eyes. "Never. But I have to smell you, and I really cannot stand the scent of fish at all. Plus, I have a more acute sense of smell than most people."

Her friend sighed and returned the water. "Relax. As a water bender, I can purify any water easily. Now, was there a specific reason for you to hunt me down or did you just want to chat?"

"Neither. It's unfair that you get to hide from those annoying people while I have to sit there quietly and get prettied up." She stuck her finger in her ear and flicked away a piece of earwax, something that looked completely wrong for a woman in a delicate green silk robe to be doing. "I figured I might as well drag somebody I can stand through the torture with me."

"You're kindness and love know no bounds," Katara replied sarcastically. "So how have you been since we all last met at the South Pole? Are you still in Be Sing Se with Iroh's tea shop?"

Toph's eyes fell, her expression becoming cloudy. "Yeah. I still help run it." She took a deep breath. "Aang came to see us."

All of the air whooshed out of Katara's lungs. It felt as if she had been punched in the gut. "What... What did... did he say..."

"Nothing."

Katara took a tentative breath. "Oh."

"He said he was going to go find other air benders, and that he had to go alone, which was why he broke up with you. He also said that he should've let you go before the Comet. And then he just... collapsed."

"What was wrong? Was he sick? Was it an Avatar thing?"

"Whoa! Whoa! Hold up there, Sugar Queen. It was only the sleeping drugs I slipped into his tea. He'd flow Appa straight to Ba Sing Se without stopping. They all needed a lot of rest." They walked a bit farther, steering clear of the paved paths. "So. You and Sparky, huh?"

Katara sighed. "I... I... I really don't know. I mean, he's the Fire Lord-"

"-and you're the woman who made sure he was alive long enough to make it there," the stubborn earth bender countered. "Remember? The fight where his sister went insane?"

"Toph, I'm the reason he got hit!" The younger woman blinked in surprise. "The story I told you... it wasn't completely true." She turned away as the truth came tumbling out. "Zuko was fighting Azula just fine. I was standing behind him, watching, wishing I could do something to help him. Then they stopped to face each other. Zuko gathered himself, ready to counter any attack she could throw at him. She had her eyes glued to his, her body poised like a feral cat. But, for some reason, her gaze flickered to me for just a second. One second. She started smiling like a maniac as she summoned that awful blue fire and attacked. But she aimed for _me_. For his..."

"His weakness," Toph finished, her voice faint with shock. "Even she knew he would do anything for you."

"Stop it Toph!" Katara turned on her friend, tears blurring her vision. "He would've done the same thing for you! For Aang! For Sokka or Suki! It wasn't just me!" She hiccuped, wiping the tears from her eyes. "It was not just me."

Toph wrapped her arms around her friend. Katara sobbed quietly, her hands clutching the arms wrapped around her. They stood together for a long time until at last Katara's tears dried and her sobs stopped. "Toph, what would I do without you?"

The blind woman shrugged. "I dunno. Probably die." They laughed together, not because it was funny, but because they needed to lift their spirits and move on.

"What's so funny?" The girls turned to see a shirtless Zuko standing behind them, one arm leaning on a wooden pole. The scar he had earned from the battle against Azula glistened in the middle of his chest as if to slap Katara in the face and remind her how much pain she had already caused him. "And why are you two all the way down here? Don't you have to go get ready?"

"Psh. As if. Do you really think I care? And Katara doesn't need to waste her time getting plastered with make-up, now does she?"

Katara looked down, a slight grin accompanied by a blush spreading across her face. Zuko just chuckled. "No, she does not." He raised the towel that was in his other hand to wipe his dripping face. "I was just working off some pent-up energy. Would you ladies care to watch?" He bowed to them, his silly grin contagious.

"Thank you, Lord of the Fire Nation," Katara replied, bowing back, "but you of all people should know that women do not belong in the stands at fighting arenas." Zuko looked up, puzzled. "Especially not the teachers of the Avatar. We will, of course, be participating."

He smirked, accepting her challenge. "Of course! How could I not offer to let two of the strongest benders in the whole world come spar with us! My sincerest apologies."

"Us?" Toph cut in. "Who's 'us?'"

Zuko turned. "The best of the best that the Fire Nation has to offer. These men have been training their whole lives to be a part of my special guard. To keep them on their toes, we sometimes come down here to spar. Would you care to help? It's not every day they get to fight against other benders."

Toph cracked her knuckles. "You had me at 'best of the best.' We'll see just how good these wussies really are." She marched past the other two into the ring. "Alright! Look lively you scum!" Her booming voice echoed around the ring and made all of the men jump. "Today you worthless piles of crap are going to get some REAL training!"

Katara laughed as she watched the blind earth bender command the poor guards, some of them three times as tall as her, to drop and give her 50 push-ups. "They have no idea what's just hit them," she whispered to Zuko as they followed their friend. "Are you sure you want us to torture them before the party?"

"Of course! They have the night off tonight. With all of the benders that are going to be here tonight, I figured I would be safe."

"Oh?" Katara arched her eyebrow. "So you are releasing your private guard for the night on the assumption that I'll be there to save your ass if anything bad happens?"

"Well, yes, that is the plan." He stopped, turning so he was fully facing her.

"What if I the one attacking?" she said, her tone playful.

Zuko chuckled and leaned in close, lowering his voice. "Then I'll just win. As usual."

"In your dreams." Her neck was curved upwards, her lips dancing in front of his. Remembering that all-too-brief moment earlier, she nearly gave in to the temptation to taste him once again. Spinning away, she undid the knot on the robe she was wearing, letting it fall to the dust a safe distance away. Standing in only her under wrappings, she took her traditional water bending stance. "If you're so sure that you can finally win, then prove it."

Zuko took up his own stance. "With pleasure."

The pair watched each other for a moment longer before the dusty arena erupted in an explosion of water and fire. Blue and orange and dark and light danced around and above and below and with each other, every attack perfectly countered, every step flawlessly matched. Toph and her newest batch of bitches froze, unable to tear their gaze away from the dazzling, frightening pair before them. "That, kids, is how it's done," their blind instructor commented, able to feel the steps they took on the ground and elements they so skillfully controlled. The breath of the two opponents became shallower as the attacks brought them closer and closer until they were fighting hand-to-hand, all bending forgotten. Fists flew and heads ducked until at last Zuko managed to wrap his hand around Katara's hair. Snapping her whole body around, he whispered in her ear.

"I win."

Katara growled. Throwing her weight against him, she twisted out of his grip before flipping him over her head. Pouncing on his chest, she pinned his stronger arm to the dirt above his head and wrapped her other hand around his throat. "I don't think so," she purred, triumphant. As usual.

As they laid there, panting, Katara was acutely aware of Zuko's steaming body under her sweating one. She could feel the pulsing of his heart through the veins under her fingers. His whole body was still battle-tensed, every muscle taunt and solid.

Katara was not pure; she had slept with other men before. Some from her village, some in the North, and one of two from the other nations. But never had she ached to be with any of them as she wanted the one she had bested. She was now battling herself, keeping her body hovering over his instead of pressing against it, holding her head away from his soft neck. The hand she had pinned against his body was curled around her calf now, his fingers dancing up her leg to rest on the bare skin just above the back of her knee. Her face drew closer to his, her body ready for a different sort of fight. Her hand slid to the back of his neck, her fingers weaving into his shaggy hair. Before she knew what was happening, before she could react, Zuko closed the distance between them. His lips pressed into her wild hair, searching for her ear. "You've beaten me. Now I am yours to command." His soothing voice, husky with desire, sent a shiver through her body. He pulled back, waiting for her to speak.

"What an amazing teach you guys have! He makes you a stronger bender AND a ladies man!" Toph, crazy, loud, loyal, sensible Toph, brought them back to the present. Katara pushed off Zuko's chest, rising quickly and offering the Fire Lord her arm. He took it and was yanked up. "And that, gentlemen, is how you fight fire with water. Now, who wants to take her on?" Zuko bowed and stepped away as a cocky, handsome young man rose to the challenge. He stood next to Toph as Katara and her new opponent bowed in the center of the ring. "Way to go, Sparky," Toph said quietly. Zuko flinched.

The man threw two successive fireballs at the water bender's face. She swallowed them in a wave that seemed to appear out of midair. _This is child's play for her_, Zuko scoffed. _She's been fighting that attack since before she was taught by a master._ More fire flew from his hands and feet, each projectile increasing in size and speed. _He's testing her,_ he realized.

"His mistake," Toph said, as if reading his mind. Not a second later, the man fell with a dull thud onto the arena floor, a puff of dust taking flight. Katara leaned down and lifted him under his arms. As he rose, Zuko could see the icy shackles that held his feet and hands together. Water swirled over his mouth.

"Never underestimate another bender, no matter what nation or gender. Wasting you time testing them could be your biggest and last mistake ever." She released him and he hobbled over to his comrades. "Toph, would you like to help me tag-team these children? It seems that they don't respect female benders like they should."

Toph's grin stretched from ear to ear. She cracked her knuckles over her head. "Sounds like out kind of job. I only wish Suki was here to put them in their place like she did to your bro." They laughed as they both pictured Sokka in the traditional armor and face paint of the warrior women on Kyoshi Island. Ever since the earth bender had been told the story, it had become her favorite of the times the Gaang had spent together before finding her. "Alright!" she snapped, switching from giggling girl to drill sargent in the blink of an eye. "You, you, and you. Out here. Now!" The three she had randomly pointed to jogged into the fighting ring, their eyes betraying just how intimidating they found the blind one.

"Go easy on them, Pebbles," Zuko chided, using his new nickname for her. "I need them to all come out in one piece, and preferably no blood."

Toph yawned, waving her hand at the Fire Lord. "Chill, Sparky. We're only here with the greatest healer in the world. Anything I break, she can fix." Katara rolled her eyes as Toph smirked in her direction. "Now! You all know how to fight as a unit, correct?" In response, the men took fighting stances that perfectly complimented the others. "Good. Here we go!"

The shadows grew longer as they continued to fight, fire against water and earth. Sometimes the girls would fight with the guards against Zuko or another guard or each other. Sometimes Katara and Zuko would fight together against the guards. At one point, they were fighting all of the guards except the one Katara had already bested.

He stood, captivated, as their elements came together into single attacks that nearly blew the others out of the arena. "Beautiful," he murmured. Toph nodded in agreement. "They are the perfect example of opposites working together in perfect harmony." He looked at her, stunned that she was there and had heard him, so she replied the only way Toph really could; a punch of love.

They were always careful to avoid any prolonged looks or touching. They even made sure that they were never on opposite teams. Fleeting glances, like school children too shy to talk to each other, were all that they allowed each other. Toph kept the men busy, making sure that they would forget the image of their leader being straddled by a water bender, and Katara was eternally grateful.

As the last man of the drill hit the floor, Toph dusted herself off and grinned at Sparky, who she had been fighting with. "Well, I think that's enough ass-kicking for tonight. What do you say Katara?"

The woman in question was bent over a man's arm, her brows furrowing as she repaired a hairline fracture. The water faded just as her face relaxed. "There, all finished. But try to keep weight off it for a few days. Go easy on the push-ups." She gave a breath-taking smile as she rose and patted his cheek. "I think it's time we went to a party, Toph!" she called, walking towards the exit. Zuko came up beside them.

"Thank you both so much. I don't know how to repay you." He glanced back at his men who were nursing their various bruises. "They needed that more than you know. They knock me down once and they think their unstoppable."

"Anytime you need somebody to whip those pussies into shape, just send for us. It's what we do best."

Katara grinned. "Toph, I think we've run from those beauticians long enough. We're going to relive our day in Ba Sing Se."

Toph yelped. "Awesome! Do we get to dump the prissy bitches into a river again?!"

Zuko gave Katara a puzzled, and worried, look. She grinned. "I think we need to play nice tonight." Toph's shoulders dropped. "But I never said we'd play nice tomorrow."

The earth bender laughed. "I can feel your anxiousness vibrating through the air, Sparky. Just chill. We'll only dump the dumb, no-name ones in the river. The princesses go into the pond." She walked away, her grin stretching from ear to ear.

Zuko watched her go in horror. "I am going to have to lock that woman up," he muttered.

Katara smiled. "That's our girl," she replied.

They stood for a moment longer, their eyes looking everywhere but at each other. "So, I guess I'll see you at the party."

"_Your_ party," she corrected.

He chuckled. "Don't remind me." He sighed, his eyes finally finding hers. "You know, I'm not sure if I'll be able to dance with you tonight. You'll have to tell me what you're wearing so I can find you."

Katara smirked. She stepped up to him, so close that she could feel the heat pulsing from his body. "I'll be the one in red," she breathed. Then she twirled away to join her friend, leaving the man behind her confused and speechless.

* * *

**A/N: HA. You all thought I was dead, didn't you? I'm sure you did. This chapter was just such a struggle to write! But then I had the girls kick some manly ass so it's all good. A little shorter that usual, but oh well. It's up!**

**And yes, I know I promised a dance this chapter, but this scene got a little long. I don't care if it has nothing to do with anything (except for some almost Zutara sexytimes) I liked it. So NEXT chapter, a dance. And some party crashers. A big huge cookie for the person that guesses the right person!!**


	11. Party

The party looked worse than Zuko could have ever imagined. He peeked through the heavy curtains and gaped at hundreds of people, dressed in every shade of red, gold, green, brown, blue, and purple. He even thought he saw a flash of yellow and orange, which made him think of Aang, which made him think of Katara, which then made his heart race and his cheeks redden. He boggled at the lanterns, which seemed to him to be numerous than the chattering guests below. Red banners were laced between every horizontal beam of wood with the Fire Nation insignia draped down in the very center of the courtyard. Out of pure stubbornness, Zuko had decided to keep the old design. It was the symbol of his nation, and he wanted the memories of the fear it had brought to be erased. That, and he had hated all of the other designs that had been suggested.

"Do you see her yet?"

The Fire Lord jumped, letting the curtain fall back. "Uncle! Stop sneaking up on me like that!"

General Iroh grinned, the skin around his eyes wrinkling. "I cannot help it! You have been so distracted lately that a komodo rhino could charge past you without you even noticing!" His eyes twinkled. "So is she out there?"

"How am I supposed to know! You only invited half the world- I mean, who are you talking about?"

Iroh rolled his eyes. "Are you going to propose to her tonight or not?"

Zuko blanched, wincing away from his uncle's words. "No," he said, his voice barely a whisper. "Besides, she'd never say yes."

"That's not the impression you two gave the men earlier today."

"But that was just-"

"-And I find that hard to believe after I found you two this morning-"

"-It was a mistake-"

"-And who were you protecting when you earned that scar on your chest?"

"Alright! I get it! I'm crazy in love with her!" he exploded. "But what am I supposed to do? She still has feelings for Aang."

Iroh clasped his nephew's shoulder. "He was the one who left her, remember." He gave him a reassuring smile as he slipping something silky into Zuko's hand. "When the time is right, you will know."

Horns sounded on the other side of the curtain. Iroh's smile spread from ear to ear. "Come! You must greet the guests!"

Sighing at the old man's enthusiasm and energy, he tucked the silk into a hidden pocket under his red and gold armor. The callers, who had just recently replaced Li and Lo, drowned out the voices of the guests. Zuko had learned long ago to ignore what they were saying and just wait for those four words-

"Presenting, Fire Lord Zuko!"

No matter how many times they said it, no matter how long he held the throne, that sentence would always scare him. He never felt ready for the responsibility, the weight that came with two stupid words.

He took a deep breath as the curtains parted, reveling him to hundreds of pairs of blinking eyes. He walked forward, using the trick his uncle had taught him, and kept his eyes glued to the flickering lanterns. "I welcome you all, and thank you for joining me in celebrating my birthday!" The crowd clapped politely. Zuko heard a shrill whistle pierce the air, accompanied by a stomping foot that seemed to shake the earth. He grinned; he was going to have to thank Toph for that later. A servant slipped up on his right side, handing him a golden goblet filled with the Fire Nation's best fire wine. He lifted it over his head and watched a hundred hands copy him. He paused, trying to keep his eyes from scanning the crowd for a certain hand. "To the celebration of life," he finally said. The guests repeated his words before they tilted their heads back. Zuko suppressed a laugh as he watched the reactions of those who had not grown up eating fiery foods and downing drinks with an extra kick. He motioned towards the band, and they started playing a pleasant dancing song.

"Well toasted, my Lord."

Zuko's heart stopped. She was there- _right there_ – on the dais with him. How had he not noticed?! He wanted to kick himself.

"Well? Is the dress to your liking?" Katara asked with a smug grin. Of course, she would already know his answer. He let his eyes travel down the bolts of red and gold silk. Her outfit was almost the exact twin of his, minus the shoulder guards. He took extra time to notice the curves in her hips that were more definite, how she had grown taller and leaner, and the way the cloth fell over her chest.

"You look... It looks... Wow," he managed to finally say. "Red suits you."

She rolled her eyes. "Not as well as it suits you," she replied. "And stop gawking. People will start thinking that you'd never seen a woman before." Even as she scolded him, he could see the pink that tinted her ears and was spreading to her cheeks beautifully.

He bowed. "My apologies, Princess Katara of the Southern Water Tribe." She grinned as he played the formal role his advisers had taught him. "But, tell me, how is it that you managed to be standing in the place of honor?"

Her cheeks reddened just a little. "First of all, I am _not_ a princess. And it would seem that I am the only woman in the entire Southern Tribe of marrying age," she said tersely. "That, or your uncle conveniently forgot to send any letters down to the pole."

Zuko rolled his eyes. "It's been known to happen." They looked out over the crowd at the couples that were already dancing. It must have taken the entire army and navy to have enough partners for all the women that were in attendance. "Well, if you're not doing anything right now..." he began, his eyes flitting to Katara for a second before jumping back to the crowd.

"Fire Lord Zuko, are you asking me on a date?" she teased. He wished he was; at least they could have some fun on their own.

He faced her fully, drawing himself up to his full height. "Don't be ridiculous," he huffed. "I am the Lord of the Fire Nation; I do _not_ date." He stepped up to her, letting himself drown in her ocean eyes. "I dance." He slid his hand in hers, his heart racing when she smiled in return and let him lead her to the floor. The crowd seemed to part for them, but neither noticed; they were too busy grinning at each other.

It wasn't until they stopped in the center of the guests that Katara started to panic. "Zuko, I have no idea how to dance," she breathed as he wrapped his hands around her waists.

"Just pretend we're sparring," he coaxed. "Only, without the sneaky moves, okay?"

Her grin widened. "What sneaky moves?" she asked innocently as she stepped on his toes. He wished he had attached the feet-guards; if anything they could save his feet from any other awful dancers.

"Place your hands on my shoulders," he ordered as he began to spin her around the dance floor. Her grip felt like iron. "I said _place_, not grab!" he hissed.

"I don't like being bossed around," she purred. Her eyes were drowning him again.

"I'd noticed."

As they twirled, the other couples stopped to watch the Fire Lord and the woman who had taught waterbending to the Avatar. Zuko kept his eyes on Katara, hoping he could avoid confronting Aang (if it was Aang he had seen earlier) until their dance was finished.

"I wish you'd told me about your birthday earlier," Katara said over the pounding drums. "Now I don't have a present for you."

He smiled, his heart hammering against his ribs. "You being here is the only present I need," he whispered, leaning into her ear. He saw the color rising in her cheeks again, and couldn't help but remember their brief fight earlier. "I am still in debt to you, by the way. You bested me in front of my men."

Her eyes flashed dangerously. "Don't worry. I haven't forgotten," she said. Her tone made his breath catch.

At last,the music quickened. Zuko increased the pace, and Katara kept up easily, even leading him occasionally. _She was always a fast learner_, he thought as they made their final twirl around the floor. The music stopped with them, and they bowed to the applauding guests. Katara squeezed his hand, smiled, and disappeared into the now-moving crowd.

Zuko moved to follow her, but he was held fast by a woman with too much makeup and flat brown eyes. "May I have this dance?" she asked. Her friends, who seemed to have on twice as much makeup, giggled at her boldness. He bowed, like a good host, and offered his hands. Her grin was like that of a predator that had just caught its prey. It reminded him of his sister. As he danced with this annoying stranger, he kept his eyes peeled for the blue eyes dressed in red. He thought he saw a flash of her caramel skin dancing with a man in green, but they were gone before he could be sure.

The song ended, and he and his partner clapped politely. Just as he'd bowed to her, another woman took her place, and the cycle continued.

* * *

The party seemed to drag on forever. Zuko was certain he had danced with every woman in the entire world that was old enough for marriage. He was surprised to partner with quite a few girls with blue-purple silks and tanned skin. Of course, none if them had eyes as brilliantly blue as Katara's. But they had smelled, to him, almost the same; a certain sweetness mixed with the salt of the ocean.

After a rather painful waltz with a girl who had the nose of a hogmonkey and the laugh of a lemur, he caught his uncle's eye desperately. They exchanged nods, and Zuko said his good-byes and thanks to what was left of the party crowd before rushing to his room. He had seen Katara slip away not too long ago, and he hoped she would be waiting for him.

He nodded to the guards outside his door before slipping in. Somebody had, apparently, forgotten to light his fire. He lit it on his way to the closet. He yanked of the oppressive shoulder guards (a royal fashion trend he had _not _been able to change) and let his mind wander to that flash of orange cloth he had seen at the beginning of the party. If it had been Aang, then why hadn't Uncle made him the guest of honor? They were still friends, right? "Right?" he whispered. He looked down, and saw a slight bulge in the pocket over his heart. He reached in and pulled out the betrothal necklace he had made for Katara all those years ago. He smiled as he moved it to the pocket in his pants. "'When the time was right'", his uncle had said. Well, maybe it was right tonight.

_CRASH!!_

The noise next door put him on full alert. "Katara?" he called, rushing towards the hidden panel. As he turned the corner, he was met by two gleaming hooks.

"Well, look who we have here," the man said, cackling. "The beast trying to save the beauty?"

Zuko growled. "I thought you were dead." He was already gathering the fire in his chest.

"Yeah, well, so did the entire world." He fixed Zuko with an icy glare. "They also seem to have forgotten who it was that started this whole damned war."

"Well, it wasn't me! So I don't know why you're here-"

"Shhh!" His finger hovered over Zuko's parted lips. "We don't want to disturb the women in the next room."

"Katara," he breathed. "Wait. Women?"

His captor grinned like a feral pygmy puma. "You see, I didn't come alone. And I didn't come without a plan." His knives closed in on Zuko's throat. "If you try anything, cry out, scream, even breathe fire, _she_ will be punished."

Zuko felt his heart cracking. They had her. They had Katara. And there was nothing he could do. Nothing. His legs shook and he collapsed on his knees. "No," he gasped. His breathing became shallow; it was as if he was being crushed at the bottom of the ocean. "You're lying," he pleaded. "Katara's strong. Much stronger then when you last saw her."

"Are you sure about that?" he taunted. "Let's go have a look." He pulled Zuko to his feet by his hair, yanking out his crown and bun in the process. They walked to the wall with the hidden panel. "Open it!"

Zuko exhaled slowly. "Listen to me. I know you're upset. You fought against my people for your entire life. It's hard to let that go. But it's only me you're angry at. Not her. Leave her out of this. Do anything you want to me, but let her go."

The other man scratched his chin. "You are right." Zuko released the breath he had been holding. "It is you I'm pissed at." He turned suddenly, his eyes cold. "But she was the one who betrayed me, and froze me to a tree. She's not getting off that easily. Plus, the Avatar might let you die, but it would crush him to have to watch his beloved teacher be burned at the stake." He shoved Zuko at the wall. The Fire Lord's head smashed into the solid wood. He felt the warm blood trickling down his scar. "Now, let's try this again. Open. The. Door."

Zuko knew he was beaten. He had known ever since he had heard that Katara was now a captive. Ever since she had shown up, his life had started to revolve around her. Her laughter, her smile, her ocean-deep eyes that seemed to look right through him, even her steady breathing when she slept; he could not go a single day without any of those. He pressed his hand against the wood as if it was controlled by a puppeteer. The door slid open, reveling a light in Katara's room. He was shoved forward, into the darkness. He rose quickly. He needed to see her: he needed to know that her heart was still beating.

He erupted into the room.

* * *

Katara hadn't meant to leave Zuko to those wolf-like women. But the person holding her other hand was stronger than she'd guessed at first. Once Zuko was out of sight, she turned, her hand poised to punch whoever was taking her away.

"Don't hurt me!" Green-clad arms rose to shield the face with a funny little mustache. It took Katara a few moments to put a name to the gotee.

"Haru!" she cried, wrapping her arms around his neck. He was so startled he didn't even hug her back. "It's been so long! How long have you been here?"

"We just arrived from Ba-Sing-Se this morning," he said, smiling. "It's good to see you, too."

"You still haven't shaved that thing off, apparently."

He reached up to touch his facial hair subconsciously. "But I like it! And so does Song."

Katara blinked. "Song? Who's..."

"Hello." Her voice was soft and delicate. It seemed to match her personality and her build. She was short (her head barely reached Katara's shoulder) and she had the largest, kindest dark brown eyes Katara had ever seen on a person. "I am Song, Haru's..." She paused, blushing softly.

"She's my wife." Haru glowed with pride. "We were just married a few weeks ago! It's a shame you couldn't be at the wedding. Imagine: the world's greatest healer, sick!" He chuckled, and Song beamed up at him.

_So _that's_ what he was telling them_, Katara thought. She was going to have a _long_ conversation with that jerkbender about what happened when she was... sick. "But how did you make it from Ba-Sing-Se to here in one day? Even on an air balloon it takes-"

"Two days. I know. I ran into an old friend a few days ago, and he offered to give us a lift on Appa."

Katara's heart stopped. "Aang's here." She was suddenly afraid, not because he had broken her, but that he had seen her dancing with Zuko. "Where is he?" she demanded, grabbing Haru's shoulders.

"Uhh, I think he went that way..." He pointed over his shoulder. She released him and sped away. As he fixed his clothes, he caught Song's look of shock. "That's just how she is," he explained. "Water is a very unpredictable element."

As she pushed her way through the throngs of people – where had they all come from? - she tried to think of something, anything, to say to him. And what if he asked about her and Zuko? She knew, had always known, that he believed something had happened in that cave under Ba-Sing-Se. She supposed something had happened; she had seen the human side of the man she had considered a monster. She had realized that they shared the pain of a lost mother, an absent father. They had opened up to each other, and she'd discovered that she really didn't hate him.

"Hey! I knew it was you that I saw!"

His cheerful voice stopped her. He was the same as she remembered: ears still a little too big for his head, blue arrows shining on his shaved head, and the wooden necklace that his mentor had worn. He still wore his modest monk's clothing, but it seemed to be made of a finer material now.

"Aang." She swallowed. "Aang, I..."

"Don't. Please don't. I'm sorry I hurt you the way I did, I really am, but it was what I needed to do four years ago. I'm sorry I let it go on-"

"Aang, I'm in love with Zuko." The words tumbled out before she could stop them. She wasn't even sure they were true until they were out.

He stopped, blinking his gray owlish eyes. "Oh. Are... are you sure-"

"I've been sure for a long time. I just kept lying to myself. I'm sorry. You should have known earlier, too."

He smiled. "At least we're telling each other the truth now, right?" he said. She smiled back before wrapping her arms around his waist. "I think I grew again," he chuckled, his arms circling her shoulders and his chin resting on the crown of her head. She nodded, laughing with him. "I think we should go back," he whispered as he pulled away.

He offered her his arm, but before she could take it a light-green arm snaked though. "Sorry, Sweetness, but this is my date," Toph said. Her long hair fell over her eyes, but Katara could see the pink in her cheeks. "Go get Sparky back!" she ordered, pushing Katara in ahead of them-

-and right into Iroh. "Lady Katara! I was just looking for you!" He whisked her away and helped to keep her occupied for the remainder of the party. He poured her several glasses of that deadly fire wine that burned the whole way down and kept her warm from her head to her toes. She was passed between him and Aang and Haru and some of the men she had sparred with that morning.

As she sat down to catch her breath next to Iroh, she saw Zuko wincing while he danced with Hognose. It was enough to make her laugh so much she started crying. When she had reeled in her giggles, she was facing a very serious Iroh. "Why don't you go dance with him again?" he suggested. "You two are such a joy to watch."

"But he looks like he's having so much fun," she said as he winced yet again. "I don't want to be the one to spoil it."

Iroh patted her hand. "He cares deeply for you." Gone was the jovial, care-free man she had been dancing with only moments ago. He was now the protective father, trying to help his beloved son be happy.

"I know." She gripped his hand back before whisking away. Before she'd realized where she was going, she was standing in front of the door to her- to the Fire Lady's room. She pushed the door open carefully, as if she was afraid of waking a sleeping child inside. Everything was just as she had left it that morning. Sighing, she closed the door and began untying the ridiculously tight knot around her waist. She could still remember the burn of his hands as he had lead her around the dance floor.

The smooth red silk fell to the floor. She went to the huge closet and reached for her wrappings and her warm blue tunic. Once she felt properly dressed, she sat down at the vanity table and yanked the pin from her head. Her brown hair tumbled around her face as she heard the door to Zuko's room thud shut. She jumped, her heart beating rapidly. She scrambled out of the chair and began to pace. She paused in from of the full-length mirror, fixed her hair, and saw the gleam of metal in the candlelight. She dove to the right as the assassin released.

_CRASH!!!_

The mirror shattered, leaving glass all over the floor. _Where's my water?_ Katara wondered as she dove behind the bed.

"Katara?" Zuko's voice was muffled by the walls that separated them. She wished that he would come soon.

"He won't be coming to help you," a woman droned. "You see, we got to him first. Try anything, and we won't hesitate to hurt him first."

The blood in Katara's veins turned to ice. She studied the senbon that was embedded into the mirror. "It's nice to see you again, too. Mai." She rose slowly, her arms up to show surrender.

The other girl scowled. "This should have been my room," she said, her normally dry voice tinged with envy and anger.

"Maybe you should have tried acting like you were actually alive."

Mai crossed the room, pulling a knife out from her sleeve and pressing it to Katara's throat. "Am I alive enough for you?" she sneered.

Katara heard a dull thud on the wall in Zuko's room. "What are they doing to him?" she demanded. No, no, she was cooperating! Why were they hurting him! He'd already been hurt for her enough.

"Nothing they wouldn't do to you," Mai snapped. She laced her fingers into Katara's hair, dragging her along as she moved to open the door panel. Katara kicked out at her captor, but the fire wine had made her groggy. She stumbled enough for Mai to get a tighter grip. "Are we a little tipsy tonight?" she sneered.

Zuko exploded into the room. He took one look at Katara before he fell to his knees. "Mai," he said. Katara had never heard him sound so...broken. "Mai, please. Don't hurt her. You have my life at knife-point. If you want to hurt anyone, hurt me."

He was begging. Begging. Zuko never begged. He was _always_ better. He _always_ had the upper hand. He _always_ had nothing to lose.

"Well, well. Wasn't that sweet." Katara looked at the doorway. She needed to see the face that this voice belonged to. _Now_. "I was nearly moved to tears!" He stepping into the light. "What about you, Katara?"

"It's not possible," she breathed. "You're... you..."

"Yes, I know. I'm supposed to be dead." He picked his teeth with his knives. "And yet, here I am." He kicked Zuko over with the toe of his boot. "Keep an eye on them for a moment," he told Mai and he walked towards the huge windows next to the bed. Flinging them open, he breathed the night it. "It a perfect night of a revolution, don't you think?" he said to nobody in particular. He cleared his throat and cupped his hands over his mouth. "Attention!" he shouted. "We have the Fire Lord and the waterbender! Do anything stupid, and you will receive their heads tomorrow! We want you, Aang! You have six hours to find us!" He put his hands down for a moment as he cackled. "Jet's back baby!" he cried, turning to face us.

"And man, are we going to have fun."

* * *

**A/N: I LIVE!!!!!! But not very often. Man, was this a struggle to write. It's longer than usual thought! Yeah, that's no excuse, I know.**

**BUT I think I'm going to be ending this soon. I have two other stories that are fighting to get out. HOPEFULLY this will be finished before I start summer break. But who knows. Anyways, hope you liked it! Yes, I know, Jet's supposed to be dead. I am voicing my doubts.**


	12. Island

Black.

Everything was black.

Eyes shut, eyes open, it didn't matter; the dark was the same shade of nothingness.

Images flashed through her mind. Mai in the Fire Lady's room. Zuko crashing through the door to come to her rescue. Jet's deafening challenge to Aang. The Dai Le clamping on the rock-handcuffs and tying on the blindfolds, dragging them down, down, down...

_Ba-thump. Ba-thump. Ba-thump._

She could feel the pulse of another person, not even five feet away. Could it be...? No, that would be ridiculous. They would know better than to throw the two of them into a cell together. But still, it was worth a shot.

"Zuko," Katara whispered into the blackness. She heard the hiss of air rushing over teeth, felt the pulse quicken. "Zuko, is that you?" The voice that escaped her lips was hoarse and scratchy, like the desert wind.

Light erupted before her eyes. She hissed, flinching away and squeezing her eyes shut so tightly that tears leaked out of the corners. "Sorry," a voice said as the light dimmed. "There, is that better?"

Katara inched her lids open, her eyes drawn to the small flame dancing before her. She could make out the gray walls of a small cell, and see the shadows that fell across the doorway. The light flickered across Zuko's face, exaggerating the deep lines that had once divided his face and were returning slowly but surely. His good eye was a deep purple, nearly black, and red lines littered his face. A stream of dried blood flowed down along his hairline and disappeared below his chin. Several boot-sized splotches covered his ribcage, and more blood was traveling down his chest. "Oh, Zuko," she gasped. She could feel the tears stinging her eyes. "What have they done to you?"

Zuko snorted. "It's nothing I haven't taken before," he replied, keeping his eyes on the flame that danced in his palm. Looking at his downcast face, and his broken body that had been so perfect just that morning (or was it years ago?) caused a wave of utter hopelessness to wash over Katara. She slumped even lower against the cold metal wall she was chained to. How were they ever going to get out of this mess?

At last, she managed to ask him the important questions. "How long do you think we've been down here?"

He shrugged, a movement that was nearly invisible in the nearly-total darkness. "I'd say about two days. I can feel when the sun rises and sets, but they may have had us drugged for a day or two."

Two days? They had been there for two days already? "What about Aang?" Katara wanted to kick herself for asking him that, of all people. But besides her ex-lover, he was the Avatar and the peacekeeper of the entire world. She had every right to be worried about him.

"I've been keeping my ears peeled, but I haven't heard anything at all about him," he replied softly. "I'm sorry." His voice came to her like a ghostly whisper on a moonless night.

"What do you have to be sorry about?" she whispered back. They shared a small smile, both continuing to blame themselves for the mess they were in. Katara leaned back, banging her head into the iron wall. "I hate this," she said. "All of this waiting. It drives me crazy." She saw Zuko nod his head.

Silence fell over them like a wool blanket in the middle of summer. At last Zuko asked, "How are you feeling?"

Katara searched for the right word. "Drained," she replied a few moments later. " I feel like when we walked through the desert, only I don't have two grumpy tweens and a drunk older brother and lemur. I need water so desperately." She dragged her sticky tongue across her cracking lips, tasting the salty tang of blood.

"What kind of idiots try to walk through a desert!" Zuko asked.

His tone rubbed Katara the wrong way. "Hey! It's not like we planned on walking the whole way! Toph doesn't see well on sand and the Sandbenders came out of nowhere!"

"So where was everyone else? Where were you?"

She paused, remembering that magnificent room that could show the position of the moon and the sun on any day you could think of. "Finding out the date of the eclipse from the library of the Knowledge Spirit."

"I'm glad all that hard work really paid off," he muttered.

The day of the black sun. Hakota, injured but determined to stay with his men every step of the way, leaning on her heavily throughout the battle. Sokka's plan, which he could not explain to anyone else, and the giant aquatic machines he had designed. "It wasn't a total loss," she replied softly, a slight smile playing in the corners of her mouth. "That was the day that you decided to find us, right?" Zuko smiled. "But it doesn't change the fact that I still need water."

The Fire Lord's deep chuckle echoed around the small cell. " I think I can help you out there," he breathed, the corner of his mouth twisted upwards. The intensity of his stare gave her chills. "But first, I need to know: Do you trust me?"

His question struck her, almost as if she had been slapped gently. She thought of the man he had tried to force himself to be, when he had shaved his head and worn a ponytail and tied girls to trees. She recalled the trip they had taken to the Southern Raiders, the scar on his chest, the stolen kiss in the bedroom, and the necklace she had returned.

"Entirely," she replied.

"Thank you," he said, his voice full of unrecognizable emotions. "Now, I need you to hold perfectly still." Katara began to regret agreeing to his plan. As he moved the small flame to his pointer finger and aimed it at her, she started having second thoughts. "Hey, look at me." She let her eyes be trapped by his. "I will never, never hurt you," he said, his eyes searching her face.

She managed to smile. "Just don't burn my hair;" she teased.

"Wouldn't dream if it," he grinned as he lit her sleeve on fire. Katara remembered her first close encounter with a firebender trying to control a flame. In hind sight, she should have asked first. Even after fighting along side Zuko throughout the entire end of the war and their sparring practices in the years after, she was always afraid of the flames become too big and powerful for the bender to control. Water was nothing like fire; it always molded itself to do what she needed, from healing a paper cut to washing away a Fire Navy ship. How firebenders managed to stay in control of such a wild, unruly element she would never know. Thinking of some of the looks on Zuko's face in the past, she guessed that all firebenders were a little bit wild and reckless themselves.

The heat on her arm was becoming unbearable. Sweat trickled down her forehead, and she bit down on her lip to keep herself from freezing the flame. She stole a glance at Zuko, who had his arms outstretched and his eyes glued to the fire he had created.

Boots echoed like thunder down the iron hallway. A second later, the cell door to Katara's left was thrown open and the contents of a large bucket were pitched into the brighter corner of the cell. "You shoulda known better!" a gruff voice scoffed as he bolted the door.

Katara was sitting in the middle of a puddle of heaven. She fell onto her back, weaving the water up and around and through her outstretched arm and fingers. The familiar smooth feel, that comforting coolness, the salty tang-

She sat up, facing Zuko's now dark wall. "Ocean water?"

"The salt in it does exactly the opposite of what it does for you waterbenders. It helps keep my flames out for longer. Sorry I didn't tell you"

She laughed. "What are you apologizing for? Why do you think the Northern Water Tribe was able to stay free for so long? Why was I more powerful on the coast than inland? Sea water makes us more powerful. It's a little like that comet, only all the time. It's especially useful for healing." Her chains clinked to the ground. "And lock-picking." She crawled towards Zuko's throaty chuckle, using one arm to hold what was left of her water, and stopped when his burning hands curled around her shoulders. Sitting up, she let the water find his lock and run into the keyhole, freezing into a perfect copy before she turned it.

The chain's echos had not yet died down when she became wrapped up in him. Zuko's arms engulfed her entire waist, drowning her in his warmth and sweat. "You're safe now," he whispered in her ear before his lips brushed along the side of her neck, sending shivers down to her stomach. She was not sure whether he was reassuring her or vowing to himself, so she simply wrapped her arms around him.

The sound of more boots carried down the cold hallway. "I think that's our cue to leave," Katara breathed, her heart hammering. She knew they would get caught otherwise, but she longed to stay in his arms, sheltered from the world, for always. Her cheeks were burning as she ducked under his arms. Zuko walked to the door and pressed his ear to the cool iron. "They're moving slowly. It's just a regular guard patrol. If we wait for a few minutes-"

The door flew open, leaving Zuko only an instant to catch himself from falling into the group of guards that were blinking, wide eyed, at the smirking water bender behind him. "Oopsie," Katara said as she formed a watery whip, throwing the stunned men into the far wall.

"You just had to hit them right away, didn't you?" Zuko said, pretending to be annoyed. "You couldn't wait a few moments so we could sneak away?"

"Sneaking around isn't my style," Katara replied, picking her way through the tangle of collapsed guards. "Now, which way?"

A bugle sounded down the hall to her right, followed by the shouts and orders of multiple men and women. "Away from that!" Zuko cried over the clamor, grabbing her hand and running the direction the other guards had come from. They raced down the hall, turned left, turned left again, turned right-

-into two women. "You guys just couldn't wait for us, could you?" the shorter one said, her fists planted on her hips.

"Of course they couldn't," said the other. She flicked her dark hair over her shoulder with talon-like nails. "Zuzu's never been one to do what you want him to."

Katara froze. She had a feeling that Toph would come to their rescue. After all, she had been in charge of the Dai Li for the first year after the war. But she'd never imagined that Zuko's sister would be the one to help her. The last time she had see Azula, she had been breathing blue flames in huge arcs across the courtyard of the Fire Lord's Palace, chained to a grate.

"Did you have to go and wake every guard in the whole Fire Nation?" Toph complained, bending a hole in the floor. "Zuko, Katara, get in there! We'll hold them off!"

The echoing of at least a hundred boots made Katara's ears ring. "Zuko," she said, tugging on his arm.. "Come on, let's go." No matter how hard she tried, she could not tear his gaze from his sister. "Zuko. We can talk to her later. I'm confused, too. But we have to go now."

His jaw moved, but no sound came out. "I...but...you...you..." His eyes were wide and bewildered.

Azula's face, usually in a condescending sneer, softened until Katara could see a trace of a smile. "Hush. We'll talk later, when it's safe. Now go!" She gave him a slight shove, which seemed to wake him from his trance. "Follow the waterbender to the ocean. Then find her brother."

"My brother! When did Sokka-"

"GO!" Toph bellowed, rolling up the first wave of guards in a metal rug. "We'll see you later!"

Zuko took Katara's hand. "Together?" She nodded. He gave her hand a final squeeze before they plunged into the hole.

The fall only lasted a moment. Katara felt the soft ground sinking beneath her weight. A blue flash, a rumble in the ground overhead, and they were plunged into darkness once again. Zuko lit a small flame in his palm. His other hand was laced between her fingers. "No turning back now," he muttered as he began trudging through the thick, wet mud. Katara fell in step next to him, trying to avoid following the quick little shadows she knew were elephant rats. The tunnel was fairly wide and tall, a long cylinder made of green, slimy stone. Eventually, the mud turned into a thin stream of water running down a solid path of rock. A bright light shone at the end, and Katara quickened her pace; Azula had said something about the ocean, and she was eager to find it.

But the end of the tunnel only brought more disappointment. Their tunnel opened up to a large round room with a dome ceiling and five other identical paths, all pointed in different directions.

"Azula always lies."

Katara spun, her heart hammering in her chest. Zuko stood, the flame in his hand blazing, with a look of disgust and sheer hatred on his face. "How could I have been so stupid!" he roared, his voice filling the larger room and making Katara flinch. She recalled the fight at the North Pole; the fight with the pirates; the first time she saw him, at the Southern Tribe. The banished prince with the ponytail was back. "I haven't learned anything! After all this time, I was so ready to trust her, to believe everything she said-"

"Zuko, stop." Katara was sick of this. She wanted out of the Fire Nation, out of this endless fighting. "Just stop it. Azula was not lying this time. She couldn't have been. Toph was with her. She's with us now." Katara smiled. "I'm glad it didn't take you that long to find the right path."

He sighed, a bit of steam escaping from his nose. "You're right. She was with Toph." Katara could see that he was still not entirely convinced.

"And you're forgetting her most important direction." He raised an eyebrow. "She said follow _me_, not the tunnel. I know where the ocean is." She walked to the middle of the murky pond in the large room. Closing her eyes, she exhaled slowly, letting the water around her take over. She thought about the salty tang of the ocean air, the roughness of the water, and the power it gave her when she used it. She recalled the spirits of the moon and ocean in their unending dance, and the push-pull she could always feel near the coast. Push and pull. Push and pull.

_Push. Pull. Push. Pull. Push._

Her eyes flew open. "That one!" She pointed to the tunnel two away from where Zuko was standing. "Come on!" As she took off, she was sure that she saw the Fire Lord roll his eyes as he jogged behind her. It felt so good, the familiar stretching and straining of her muscles, that she broke into a sprint, using her skills as a master waterbender to keep herself upright. She was certain that Zuko, who was splashing along behind her, was being pelted with the spray she was kicking up. "Is that all you've got?" she challenged as she lengthened her stride.

A deep chuckle reverberated in her right ear. "Not by a long shot," he said, his long legs carrying him just a half-step in front of her.

"Not fair! I'm not that freakishly tall!" she whined, unable to hold back the smile that covered her face. It felt good to run with him like this. It was almost as if they could keep running forever and ever until they reached a haven where they could just be themselves without fancy titles and separate nations to return to.

Suddenly, Zuko skidded to a halt, wrapping her in his arms to keep her still. "Listen," he whispered, his breathing uneven, but she had already heard it over her own ragged breath.

Footsteps. Many footsteps, all coming from behind them.

"They must've come from another part of the palace," Zuko said as he wrapped his hand around her arm to keep her moving. "Nobody could defeat Azula and Toph." Katara prayed that he was right. She could smell the sea now, its fishy scent the sweetest perfume to her nose. She quickened her pace, and Zuko fell in two steps behind her, his head constantly swinging back over his shoulder for the first sign of trouble. The crash of water upon rock carried down the tube like a siren song, and soon the waterbender was sprinting towards the tunnel's end. The blood in her veins was dancing at the thought of taking a dive into those murky depths.

The end of the tunnel jutted out a few feet from a cliff face. Katara slid to a stop and peered over the edge. The pounding surf churned at least fifty feet below the lip of the pipe, so far away that she could not even feel the spray from the waves crashing against the land. Just outside of the shore's riptide, a Water Tribe ship sat, its blue sails slack in the protected cove.

"Zuko!" Katara exclaimed as he reached her side. She placed her hand in his, tugging him gently. She felt him hesitate for a moment before they lifted off together. Her stomach shot up into her throat as the weightlessness of free falling hit her, but she had little time to enjoy it. The ocean's surface was approaching rapidly, so she pulled the water upwards to give the pair a gentle cushion to land in. They floated together for a few moments, watching Jet's followers crowd the tunnel exit, looking around in astonishment. As the waves pulled them farther out to sea, Katara's grin grew and grew. "We did it."

He turned, his golden eyes blazing. "We did what?" he growled. "We ran away from a person who's not even a bender but managed to have control over the Avatar. We fled the prison that _I_ used to hold my sister and father once, that _I_ used to lock away crazed generals and citizens that could not function in a world with peace between the nations because of some pissed off orphan with some fancy long knives and a bad attitude. So tell me, exactly, what we did?"

She swam to him, forcing herself into his arms. "We escaped from under the nose of the cockiest son-of-a-bitch since your father. We escaped from _your_ prison, which once held the two craziest, strongest, and cleverest people from the royal family, without Jet or his minions coming close to stopping us. And we did it without the Avatar. _And_," she added as he rolled his eyes, placing her hand on his scar, "we did it together."

His face softened as her gazed at her smiling face. "Katara-"

"AHOY MATEYS!"

Katara groaned. Leave it to her brother to ruin a romantic moment. "Climb aboard, ye land lubbers! We'll get ye sea legs yet!" She looked up at the water tribe fishing vessel, and had to duck as a rope ladder was tossed over the side by a dancing man with a stubbly beard and thick, dark hair dressed in darker hues of blue.

Katara glanced at Zuko. "I think I'd rather go up my way," she told him, bending something they had shared once before.

Zuko grinned, recognizing the ice float instantly. "I think I prefer your way," he said as she lifted them up onto the deck of the ship, his mind jumping to that eventful night.

Sokka stood by his ladder, glaring. "Show-offs," he grumbled, as he rolled up the one item that would've been useful to anyone other than a water bender. "Hoist the anchor! Set sail for the haven!"

Katara launched herself into her brother's arms. He blushed before tightening his grip on her. "I missed you, too," he whispered. Then his hands were on her shoulders, holding her away and shaking her. "What the hell were you thinking?" he cried. "Do you have any idea how worried we were about you! One minute, you're there, and then, all that's left is a giant hole in the ice!"

Tears stung Katara's cheeks. "I'm sorry," she blubbered. "I am so, so, so very very sorry that I hurt you." She took a shaky breath that got caught in her throat. "I didn't even think that you all would be hurt or worried. I didn't think at all," she added with a bitter laugh. "But I'm better now." She smiled, her eyes flicking to Zuko and back to her brother.

Sokka scrutinized her with one eye for a long moment. "I believe you," he finally said. "And I forgive you." He grinned. "After all, what are big brothers for? Now you and the Fire Lord need to get below and get some rest."

The pair willingly complied. They found what should have been the captain's quarters and stretched out on the soft furs, exhausted.

"What would happen if your brother walked in?" Zuko asked, his voice muffled by his arm.

"I would water-whip his ass out of here so we could sleep in peace." Katara was facing the wooded wall, but she reached across the bed to lace her fingers between his. "He's known for a while now. I never told him, but I think he guessed."

She felt and heard Zuko shift closer to her. "Thank goodness for that," he whispered. She was startled to hear his voice right over her ear. _He can move as silently as smoke without even trying_, she thought. "So where do you think they're taking us?" he asked, a welcomed distraction from her swirling, half-formed thoughts about their past.

She shrugged. "Your guess would be better than mine. I don't know my way around the Fire Nation."

His thumb stroked her hand, sending shivers up her spine. "I'm too tired to think of a place that's safe right now," he muttered. "We'll just have to let them surprise us."

"Don't stop." Katara's plea was almost too soft to be heard as a wave crashed against the hull of the ship.

His fingers tightened around hers. "Never," he replied, his thumb continuing to rub a smooth spot of skin on her hand.

Feeling more content and happy than she had on her entire life, Katara drifted into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

"WHAT?"

The shout of the livid man on the Fire Lord's throne echoed around the otherwise empty chamber. "How could they have escaped! I had benders of all kinds guarding them! They're just one firebender and one waterbender! How did they best all of my guards!"

"They had help, you know," a voice droned from his right. He spun around, his eyes flaming. "It was the Avatar's blind girl and the princess."

He caught himself, a wicked grin stretching across his features. "She's back to stay this time, apparently." He cackled. "Good! Good. I could use this to my advantage."

The girl rolled her eyes. "Are you stupid? I just said that she helped Zuko and the water peasant escape."

"Yeah, so?" His grin stretched even farther. "We can still use her."

Mai narrowed her eyes. "And just how do you plan on doing that?" she demanded, her dry voice raspier than usual. She knew Azula. There was no way _he_ could be the one using _her_.

Jet let out another crazed cackle. "Not yet, not yet." He turned and waved a hand at the messenger, dismissing him. "You'll have to wait for the big finale."

* * *

It was the silence that caused Katara to stir. Shaking her groggy head, she listened for the thudding of boots, or the slap of waves, or the buzz of people conversing outside their door. Alarmed, she sat up quickly, tugging at the hand that was locked in Zuko's.

As if he could sense her distress, the Fire Lord's eyes flew open, searching her face of any signs of panic or fear. "What's going on?" he asked as softly as he could.

She shook her head. "I have no idea. But it's deathly quiet."

Zuko sat up, his eyes darting from side to side. "I can't even hear the ocean. What about you?"

"I can feel it nearby, but it's not touching the ship anymore."

He nodded. "Let's go look." He rose silently and crept to the door, his hand still wrapped around hers.

"Um, Zuko? Are you-" She held up their hands.

He grinned mischievously. "Nope." To emphasize his point, he tightened his grip as he slowly opened the door and tip-toed up the stairs. He only let go when he kicked open the hatch and burst out on deck. Katara hesitated for an instant before following him up and out.

"Of course they brought us here," Zuko was muttering, a chuckle forming deep in his throat.

"Hey! The love-birds are awake!" a familiar female voice called out.

"If Aang ever hears that, you are _so_ dead," a man's voice replied. His halfhearted reprimand was so overlaid with love that it lost any of the sting it should have had.

"Lighten up! Aang has to get used to the fact that Sugar Queen isn't his little sweetheart anymore."

"And I guess _you_ are going to be the one to break the news to him," Katara called, leaning against the deck's railing. Zuko came to stand behind her.

"I'm the only one who'll tell it to him straight!" Toph called back, smiling.

"Long time no see!" Suki stood between her husband and the blind earth girl on the dark sands of one of the most beautiful beaches Katara had ever seen.

"Where are we?" she asked, her eyes roving across the unfamiliar landscape. Green rolling hills covered the horizon above the cliffs that separated the coast from the grassy plain. White houses with red roofs dotted the shoreline. The one just to her right, however, caught her eye- and not just because it looked like a small palace. She had the distinct feeling that she had been here before.

Sokka stepped forward with a dramatic bow. "Friends, family, welcome back! Please enjoy your return visit to Ember Island!"

* * *

Yeah, I'm still here. I really hope you are too! Sorry this is taking me so long! I was stupid and let myself start to write another (2) fics before I'd finished this one... my muse left me for this story and won't let me stop thinking about the next ones! But this will be done before Zutara Week this year, no problem. Only 2 more chapters to go! And maybe an epilogue. We'll see! But for now, enjoy!


	13. Ember

In the short amount of time that Jet had taken over the Fire Nation capitol, Sokka had managed to find enough warriors to fill up the Fire Lord's vacation house. Earth benders, water tribe warriors, fire nation faithfuls, and almost the entire order of the White Lotus were spilling out of the seams. "Don't worry," Sokka said, clapping Zuko on the back as the Fire Lord stood staring, his jaw on the floor. "The Kyoshi warriors and the water benders from the North Pole should be here tomorrow!"

Zuko shook his head rapidly. "No way," he growled. "They are not all staying here!"

Sokka shrugged. "Hey, you were the ones in trouble, and I had a short amount of time to gather a resistance on foreign soil. I have no idea where else-"

"I am still the Fire Lord," he said, drawing himself up to his full height, giving the Avatar's closest friends flashbacks of the arrogant young prince that had once hunted them. "I will find them another place to stay until we have an attack plan." He searched the sea of faces, pointing to all of the men he recognized as members of his former guard. "I need you men to go around the island and find any vacant houses. There should be a place just down the beach from here. It was owned by Azula's advisers, but they've been gone for a long time now. No looting! Everyone else," he said, turning to face his audience, "can help make this place our home base. All news, information, everything will come here first." He paused, glancing around at the years of neglect and disuse that coated his vacation home. "We need everything dusted, swept, washed, and uncovered. Form four or five groups so it will be easier to separate the work."

Katara stood behind him as he whipped out orders left and right, fascinated. She had always known he was a good leader, and admired him for it, but she had never really had a chance to watch him assume his role as the Fire Lord. It was a rare opportunity to be able to just stand back and watch. She began to feel guilty that she was not being put in a group to help, and tried to slip away with the warriors headed in the direction of the kitchen.

"Oh no, you don't." The Fire Lord grabbed the back of her tunic. "You are not leaving my sight."

Her eyes flashed dangerously, followed by a dangerous grin. "Great! That means you can come help us clean _your_ kitchen!"

Zuko opened his mouth to protest, then thought better of it. "Only if you promise that you'll help me with my cleaning project later," he countered.

Katara gave him a dazzling smile. "Depends on how good of a job you do," she teased, leading the way to the back of his sparingly-used vacation home.

They were the last of the group to enter the cobwebbed room. Katara sighed; she had worked so hard to clean this place the last time they had been here, she just couldn't believe that Zuko had let it all stay so neglected all these years. "I was just too busy to be able to keep this place ready for visitors," he whispered, as if reading her mind. "You did a beautiful job the last time, by the way. Let's see how clean we can make it with a whole crew to boss around." They exchanged mischievous glances before Katara stepped up onto the island, whipping out orders left and right. No one was safe from her demands, not even the Fire Lord. She left the hardest tasks to herself, as usual, and kept everyone in line and busy with short words of encouragement or a quick water whip to the rear. When the kitchen was returned to its former glory, the master water bender tore through the house, organizing this project, helping to complete that task, and directing the flow of workers from inside and outside. Around noon, Zuko managed to pull her outside to sit down and eat a quick lunch of hot rice and some of the fruit they had discovered growing in the orchard.

"So, are you ready to help me with my project?" Zuko finally asked, setting his bowl down on the tile steps.

Katara sat one step above him, scarfing down her food in a most unladylike manner. "No time," she mumbled between gulps. "Got to... finish... the rest... and then..." She swallowed her last bite, wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, and shot up before she could remember to finish her sentence.

Zuko caught her wrist and pulled her down into his lap. "Take it easy," he murmured, his lips brushing the inside of her wrist. "The world will not collapse if my second house is not spotless by the time the sun sets."

Katara smiled warmly at him, resting her free hand on his cheek. "Don't worry, I'll keep some energy for this secret job of yours," she promised before twisting out of reach and rushing down the open-air hallway.

They did not even catch a glimpse of each other until the sun had long since set. While Katara kept the cleaners busy, Zuko had gathered the leaders in the study to discuss attack plans. These included Sokka, Suki, Ty Lee, Toph, Bato, three members of the Order of the White Lotus, and several other earth and water benders. Iroh had, apparently, stayed in the capital to make sure the latest intelligence was relayed to his nephew. Jun, the bounty hunter, as well as Zuko's spy, could not be located, and the dethroned lord was glad that he had at least one person on the inside. Late in the afternoon, the guards returned and were rushed into the meeting so sleeping arrangements could be finalized. When Toph began complaining of an empty stomach, they adjourned and filed out into the courtyard, expecting much of the same meal they had received for lunch.

What greeted them made their jaws hit the floor.

Dozens of paper lanterns and exposed candles illuminated the central courtyard. Long tables and benches were covered in so many different dished from all corners of the globe that the eye did not know where to start, let alone the stomach. Instruments and musicians had been discovered, and they sat along the hallway, providing just enough noise to drown out stray thoughts but allow pleasant conversation. Zuko's eyes danced through the throngs of smiling people, searching for the organizer of this stunt.

She pushed her way to the front of the crowd and stole his breath. Her hair fell like a wavy waterfall down her back. A fire lily was tucked above her left ear, and she wore almost the same outfit as when she had been here the last time. Hers was the widest and most beautiful smile of the whole group. "Are you surprised?" she asked, her ocean eyes dancing. "We finished before your house hunters returned, so we decided to do something constructive."

An awed hush fell over the crowd, all eyes glued to the Fire Lord. It had seemed like such a good idea at first, they were all thinking, but what if he did not approve of the little party they had created? Not many of those in attendance had ever been this close to royalty, not to mention the Fire Lord! He could be a more serious man then any of them had realized!

His grin, reaching from ear to ear, wiped all negative thoughts away. "Katara, you are wonderful. A welcoming party is just what we need!" he exclaimed. "Now, let us eat! We have been locked away all afternoon and are famished!"

"You took the words right out of my mouth!" said Toph, already piling her plate high with delicacies from every continent and nation. She showed no discrimination when food was involved.

Sokka gave a loud whoop. "Let's dig in!" he cried, grabbing his wife's arm to secure a place near the front of the slowly growing line. His childish reaction seemed to have broken the ice, and now voices flooded the courtyard as they jostled for their dinner. Zuko stood apart, partially because he'd hate to use his authority as Fire Lord just to cut in line, but mostly because he'd caught a familiar shadow stalking the doorway he had exited.

He slipped away, unnoticed, using the skills he had once honed as the Blue Spirit, and followed the mysterious figure to the small library near the back of the huge house. He leaned against the heavy wood doors as he let his eyes adjust to the faint light coming through the wall of windows looking over the bay. A female figure was standing in the middle of this glass wall, as black as a shadow from Zuko's point of view. But he would know her anywhere. "Azula," he whispered. That single name conjured up so many past demons for him that it took all of his restraint to keep from blasting her halfway across the island.

She turned slowly, only her body facing her elder brother and the ruler of her birth country. She had not changed drastically since she had left, but it was the small things that showed how much of an altered person she was. She was still a teenager, her checks still not as thin as they would be in two years, but she was still battle-hardened, tiny in stature and figure but still as deadly as a sabre-tooth moose-lion, as he knew all too well. She had long, straight, brown hair still, but she had adopted a hairstyle not unlike that of their mother, Ursa, with her twin locks still framing her face. Her glowing amber eyes, once lit with a mad blue light and ready to challenge anything, remained glued to the floor. He recalled that crazy girl he had fought on the day of Sozin's Comet, with blue fire erupting from her mouth, sloppy hair flying across her face, and tears streaming from those expressive eyes. "Hello, Zuko," she said. Her voice was low and gentle; Zuko had been prepared to hear that static, blade-tipped tone she had threatened him with all of his life. "I'm... I'm sorry if my coming back has caused you grief. I did not mean to hurt you. I only want to tell you that- that I'm-"

Her words were lost in the shoulder of her brother. "I've missed you, baby sister," he breathed, his hand covering the back of her head and holding her closer. "I'm so happy that you've returned."

He heard her sniffle. "I missed you, too, Zuzu," He chuckled at her nickname for him, once such an annoyance and curse. "I'm sorry. I am so sorry-"

"Shh," he soothed. "It's over. It's done. We've all moved on from that time."

"No." She pulled away, and Zuko could see the old Azula return in her eyes and her erect frame. "I need to sat this." She sniffled before continuing. "I was... I don't know what to call myself, actually. I was so... so out of control, back then. But you had always meant so much to Mom, and it was like she didn't even see me because it always _Zuko_ that was by her side, it was always _Zuko's_ fire bending practice that she came to watch, or _Zuko's_ dinner that she brought up when you were throwing a tantrum. I always thought that she hated me, and that I would never be able to become anything to her as long as she was busy spoiling the next in line for the throne. Just because it was easy for me to remember battle tactics and strategies, she shunned me from her heart. It was always Father who praised me, when Mom's affection was what I wanted. But then, she was gone. There was nobody standing in my way now, especially since Father loved to watch how quickly I was progressing through my fire bending lessons, how strong I was. With her gone, I could do whatever I wanted, and be acknowledged! Be respected! I had my chance to be great!" She turned back to the window, her eyes and smile sad. "But none of it was enough."

Zuko placed his arms on her shoulders. "I never meant to keep her from growing close to you," he began. Azula would not look into his face. "I think your power scared her. She was afraid of what you would become, but was also scared about what would happen to me if she let me run wild and unchecked. She always loved you, Azula. Always. I used to be jealous when she would start to watch you playing and ignore me, when I was right next to her. And she only started to come watch my lessons because I cried when I asked her to," he added, a small grim pulling at his lips. "But you had Father's love, and that was what I longed for more than anything. He was the only one that really mattered, in my eyes, because I could never picture my life without Mom in it. After she left, I figured out how wrong I was." It was his turn to turn away now, his scar emerging from the shadows he had kept it in.

He watched as she raised a hesitant to lightly stroke the withered skin. "I used to think this was right," she said. "That even family deserved to suffer if they wronged you." Her eyes found his again. "I can understand if you don't want me to stay, after everything-"

"You are not going to leave again," he ordered, his hand slicing through her unfinished sentence. "We need your planning abilities if we're going to go back home again." He grinned. "And your fire bending."

She allowed herself a small smile of hope. It was in that moment that Zuko knew that this was not impossible. Azula may have been hiding under her sharp words and endless blue fire for all those years, but she had managed to find herself since she had left the capitol city. It would take a long, long time filled with baby steps and a lot of drawbacks,but he knew that they could become a loving family, together. But without one crucial piece.

"Did you find anything out about Mom?" he finally asked. He didn't know why, but he did not want to know the answer to his question. He _needed_ it.

In that brief moment of silence, when brother gazed upon sister for the first time since her birth with newly-opened and wonder-filled eyes, the sounds of carefree laughter drifted into their private haven. With a sad smile, Azula pressed her palm to his unmarked cheek. "Later," she whispered, her gaze filled with sorrow and regret. He began to protest, but was cut short by the finger pressed to his lips. "You need to focus, and keep your mind _here_," she ordered tenderly. "Didn't you ever pay attention in class?" she teased before turning to quit the room.

The Fire Lord watched her leave, his eyes glued to the doors for several minuted before he tore away, walking to the large windows. Yes, she was right. He did need to be focused. He had a throne to take back.

* * *

It was well past midnight when Katara's eyes snapped open. There was something, something important, she felt. Not dangerous, not in the slightest, but still... pressing. Taking care to not wake the others she was crammed between, the water bender managed to slip out of her sleeping bag and tip-toe through the slumbering bodies without causing any one to stir. Until she reached the door.

"You're like a kimodo-rhino," Toph complained, rolling over to fix her sightless gaze on Katara's frozen figure. "By the way, he hasn't stopped pacing all night."

It didn't take much imagination to figure who she was talking about.

"Thanks, Toph," Katara breathed, giving her friend a small smile she knew would never be seen before disappearing through the cracked door.

_They're both going to give me a headache_, the earth bender grumbled silently as she rolled around once more, eager for the blessed bliss of sleep.

The moonlight danced across the crashing waves as they pounded the defenseless shore. All that sandy line could do was stand its ground, hoping that the next wave would be gentler than the last, that maybe, just maybe, that ceaseless beating would end soon, and all would be still and calm and at peace.

Zuko felt very much like the shoreline, unable to block the attacks of the ocean. Everything that had happened since he had taken the throne, his birthright, had been like one wave after another, always threatening to drag him under for good. He had learned to roll with the punches, to let that wave hit him, maybe pull him down, but to always return to the surface, ready for the next one.

But he was tired. Jet's attack and his (their) imprisonment had been one wave he believed he could never come back from. How had he been so stupid, so naïve, how had he let himself become so confident in his own power and safety that he had started to dismiss his guards at night, and lessen the nightly grounds patrols, and ignore all of the warning signs his limited spies had brought to his attention?

Of course, that sucker punch, that cheap shot, that kick to head from Mai should have made him more prepared to handle whatever was thrown at him. Instead, he had become chipped, unnerved, withdrawn, banishing anyone and everyone who was close to him. Even, he thought regretfully, his uncle. His solid cornerstone through his adolescence, the guiding light who was always there to lead him back when he strayed from the right path. The man that had weathered his teenage rage and uncontrollable anger, his wrong-doings and his utter failures. The man he had left in the enemy-occupied capital.

"Have I really not changed since my banishment?" he asked that pale, every-watchful moon. "Am I really just as horrible and stupid a person as I was back then?"

"No." A gentle voice was carried by the wind to his ears. It sounded as if it came from the moon herself. "I have seen you change, Zuko. I have watched and witnessed and tried to help as you struggled to find the 'right path.'" A cooling hand pressed against his scar. He closed his eyes, drinking in her words and the salty air of the sea. "And I am proud to know you, now, as a good, and wise, and strong, and _kind_ man." He raised his hand to hold it to his face. She had been the first, and the last, to ever touch his reminder of the cruelty of his father. Even after peace had been established, and the horror that was Fire Lord Ozai was made known to the general public, he still saw the horror in the faces of dignitaries he was meeting for the first time, the recoiling of the airy court girls at formal banquets, the new recruits that fought to keep their eyes away from his face and the flame-red scar that consumed it.

"Stop that," Katara demanded. His eyes opened slowly, a confused look passing over them. "I can always tell when you're thinking about something unpleasant. You get a little crease in your forehead right-" her index finger from her other hand traveled to the space between his good eyebrow and the one that was forever gone "-there. So stop thinking."

He smiled down at her, wrapping her up in his arms. Her cool arms stretched around his middle, her head tucking perfectly under his chin.

They stood, cooling and warming each other, braced against the ocean wind, letting the receding wash away their thoughts.

"You never told me what you wanted help with," Katara murmured.

Zuko's heart skipped. Yes, he had forgotten about her promise after the conversation with his sister. "Does your offer still hold?" he asked, his lips brushing her ear.

Se giggled, flinching away playfully. "Of course." She pulled away, her eyes searching his for some hint, a clue, as to what it was she was going to help with.

He shook his head. "No, no hints. It's a surprise." He smirked at her annoyed scowl, lacing his fingers between hers before leading her back to his house. They pushed silently through the large front doors, stepping over the lumps of bundled and snoring bodies. Despite Zuko's best efforts, there was no where else on the small island for their secret army. That, combined with all of the eating and dancing and drinking earlier in the night, had turned the royal vacation house into a giant slumber party. He pulled her up the flight of stairs in the east wing, sneaking past Azula's closed door. She had reclaimed her childhood room after the party, slamming it in the face of several rosy-cheeked warriors. They passed what had been his childhood room, which now housed Sokka and Suki. He did not want to think about what had gone on in there; they had both stumbled up the stairs, supporting each other and laughing uncontrollably. At last, they reached a door near the end of the long hall on their right. "This is it," he said softly before turning the nob and pushing Katara in ahead of him.

He smiled at her gasp of astonishment. The first thing he took in were the windows. They stretched across the easterly wall, uninterrupted, giving a perfect view of the now-crowded harbor and moonlight-dappled waves. Pushed against the wall to their left was a huge four-poster bed, draped and covered in luxurious silks of red and gold. Her watched as the water bending master spun around in a slow circle, taking in the view and the bed and the vanity table covered in glass containers and jars and a large, dark wood box that he knew housed glittering jewels and the wooden double doors at the far end of the room. She had always been drawn to secrets and closed doors, and he shadowed her as she pulled them open slowly.

"These are the clothes of the Fire Lady," he whispered, trying to bring her out of her shock at seeing the rows of dark red and burnt red and blood red and pale red and red-gold and dark gold and sunrise gold and pure gold and the gold of the fields of summer grass he had run through as a child. She walked forward in a daze, her fingers brushing along the lavish outfits, her eyes drinking in the headdresses and hats that lined the overhead shelves. "My father-" he spat out the word "-tried to have everything of hers burned, so it would be as if she never existed. Obviously, he forgot about her favorite place to stay."

"Maybe he didn't," he heard her whisper, her hands roving over his mother's favorite summer dress. Her soft comment hit him like a fist to the face. He stumbled out and slumped onto the bed. What if... what if he had still loved her? Enough to leave her haven untouched. To keep it locked up, where it would remain undisturbed and perfect in his and his children's memories. Ever since her disappearance, he had been sure that he was the only one who had truly cared about Fire Lady Ursa, who had wanted to find her again and keep her memory close.

A cool touch on his cheek alerted him to Katara's presence. She settled on the bed next to him, but that suddenly was not enough for him. He pounced, pinning her under his in the middle of his mother's bed. "Please," he demanded, his lips traveling from her ear down her neck. He felt her shiver beneath him.

"I love you," she said. He pulled away, his eyes wide. "I love you. I have loved you for years, but I was always so scared that-"

"I love you too," he murmured, his lips working down the other side of her neck. Her hands pulled his face to hers, and their mouths connected with a static shock that sped down through their whole bodies.

That night, as the waves pounded the shore under the moons watchful eyes, and the fires on the island blazed with an unnatural warmth, two elements became as one.

* * *

GAAHHH this chapter was kinda a bitch to write. Sorry if it sounds a bit forced. I am still trying! But my muse for this story is flighty and starting to die out. I think I'm going to take a break and work on my Zutara week submissions, and maybe my muse will return! I hope.

I have this other Zutara fic that's been stealing my attention and creativity. But I think I'm going to type most of it before I start posting. AND I am still writing Nothing Left To Burn, which is even more of my baby!

If you catch any big mistakes, please let me know! I'm awful at betaing my own work, which is pretty embarrassing, I know. I hope you liked it! NEXT TIME: the fight begins!


	14. Morning

Dawn light kissed Katara's eyelids. She rolled over, letting the sun's warmth caress her bare back. She kept her lids closed, flooding her other senses with the morning: songs of the birds flitting just outside the open windows; smells of bread and fruit wafting through the room; silky smooth sheets under her face and fingers and bare body; stale taste of the man she loved in her mouth.

Loved. Loves. Love.

The Fire Lord.

Zuko.

Her Zuko.

She ran that phrase through her mind several more times. Her Zuko. _Her_ Zuko. Zuko, the man she loved. A new kind of heat fluttered up from her gut and spread to every inch of her being, causing her to giggle and curl into a ball.

I love him.

Her eye flew open, a silly grin plastered to her face. When had it happened, she wondered. Does it matter, she countered, rolling onto her back and throwing her arms over her head. She recalled the night they had just spent together, entangled hungrily. She could feel the memory of his soft kisses running along her spine, on her neck, up and down her legs. She felt the ghost of his expert hands dancing down her sides, behind her knees, woven in her hair.

So this is what it feels like to be loved, she mused. To be truly loved. Always something had been missing. In all of her past relationships, the spark she had felt between the fire bender and herself was what she had been thirsting for, and no idle lover had ever come close to quenching her.

The floorboards outside the door creaked softly, and she turned her head into the growing sunlight, closing her eyes and slowing her breathing. She listened as the door clicked open and shut, dishes clanked together, and the bed next to her sank under the weight of the intruder. A hand brushed loose hairs from her face, and it took all of Katara's will power to keep herself from leaning into the gentle caress. His breath was warm as a fire as it tickled her neck, but it was his ghostly kisses that sent shivers of pleasure down her spine. They ran along her chin, across her jaw, and finally stopped at her ear.

"Morning glory," he whispered, "It's time to rise."

Katara acted as if he had been the one to wake her as Zuko's body pressed against hers. One arm draped itself over her waist and his chin rested on her shoulder. "Wake up," he urged, tracing a circle of kisses on her brown skin.

Her head turned to face his, her eyes drowning in the light of his. She reached her left hand over her body to rest on his cheek while her right index finger slipped under the folds of his robe and traced nothing patterns up and down his chest. "I think that, for you, I could become an early riser."

He grinned. "Not a chance. You look too beautiful asleep in the dawn light. I would never allow it."

Her right eyebrow curved upward. "Is that an order, O Fire Lord?"

He chuckled as his lips reached for her neck. "As if I could ever order you around," he mumbled into her skin between pecks.

She laughed, her cheek on his head. "That's very true," she murmured, rolling onto her back. He shifted so he was holding her while his head remained tucked under hers. They watched as the sun rose steadily over the ocean, turning the scattered clouds purple and pink and orange and yellow. "I could get used to this," she said, breaking the peaceful quiet of the room. He "Hmm"ed, vibrating her chest. A feeling of vulnerability swept through her, of wanting to be held by him. She slipped out of his grasp to lay on his chest, nestling her head under his chin. She wrapped her arms around his side, and he hugged her to his chest, as if he too was afraid that this was all just a spectacular dream.

"You know what today is." The very thing she had been trying to forget rushed to the front of her thoughts. Wincing as she sighed, he lifted his chin from her hair so their eyes could meet. "That was why I came up here when I did. We need to get ready."

Neither one made a move to rise. "Could you imagine what it would be like, for us, if we didn't have all of these responsibilities and duties and people depending on us?" she asked. "If we could be together, just the two of us, in some abandoned house in the mountains of the Earth Kingdom? Can you picture it, us utterly alone and carefree? Alone, together, somewhere. Anywhere."

His expression was somber as he replied, "I don't know if we could handle that. Being alone. At some point, one of us would say something to piss off the other, and then there would be a fight to the death, and where would that leave us?"

Laughing, the lithe water bender tumbled out of his grasp and stumbled upright on the cold wood floor. "It would leave us with one less hot-headed fire bender in the world, and you know it." She made her way over to the tray of food he had brought with him.

"Oh?" The fully-clothed Fire Lord propped himself up on one elbow, watching the naked woman pour tea into two cups. "What makes you think that I would lose?"

She licked the honey she had drizzled into her cup from her fingers. "Because I can stop your heart with one twist of my wrist," she replied flatly. "And because I know you." She had picked his dressing robe up off the floor, and now draped it over her body like a huge blanket with sleeves. Zuko had to admit that he very much liked seeing her wearing his clothes. She sat in the chair facing him, one leg tucked against her chest, and explained. "You would fight me with everything you have up to the very end. There would be cursing, name-calling, and a lot of close blows. But we would both still love each other, so we would never be able to deal that final blow. You would start to get fierce, knowing we were near the end, and find that extra something you always show when your in a difficult situation. Then, seeing how upset I am, you would say 'I'm sorry' or something just as stupidly chivalrous and make me very angry and so I would strike at a vital spot, expecting you to block it when, instead, you just stand there watching me with those sun-bright eyes as my attack takes your life, leaving me with a life-time of guilt because I wouldn't be able to take my own life."

Zuko nodded. "You're probably right."

"I know I'm right," she retorted as he rose from the bed and came to stand behind her, burying his lips in her hair.

"How do you know me so well?"

She reached for the hand that rested on her right shoulder, draping it over her chest. "You're easy to read."

"You are the first person to ever tell me that," he said, giving her a final peck on the cheek before he plopped into the chair on the other side of the table. "So, are you hungry?"

She surveyed the variety of fruits and breads he had brought up. "Yes," she replied, her lips curving up, "But not for food."

He gave her a crooked smile before sipping the tea she had poured earlier. "We don't have time this morning," he replied. "We have to get ready for the invasion."

"Hmm." She plucked a red fruit from the bowl, taking a huge bite. Sweet juice dribbled down her chin. "Is there a cloth or something...?" She looked for the one thing she knew he had forgotten.

"Oh, for the love of..." He walked to her side and proceeded to lick the mess off her neck. She shivered in delight, her hands grabbed his shoulders. He brought his forehead up to rest against hers, their noses touching. "Maybe we do have some extra time," he murmured just before her lips latched onto his. They had just reached the bed when a heavy fist pounded on the thick door. With a sigh of frustration and peck on Katara's nose, Zuko rose to greet the intruder. Katara re-wrapped his cloak more tightly around her slim body before following.

The Fire Lord whipped the door open to reveal the young chief of the Southern Water Tribe, his fist still raised. The Master Water Bender poked her head out from behind Zuko's back. "Hey, Sokka! Where did you and Suki end up sleeping? You two disappeared pretty early last night."

Watching the tribesman's eyes widen, Zuko wished she had stayed on the bed where his body could have kept her hidden. His friend, and her brother, did not deserve to find out about them like this. "A...across the hall," Sokka finally managed to stammer. His expression suddenly flashed from shocked to smug. "Sorry if I interrupted anything," he grinned, waggling his eyebrows. "I'll take care of the rest of the morning preparations. You two enjoy yourselves!" He walked away, waving over his shoulder.

It was Zuko's turn to be shocked. "Wha... why did... why _didn't_ he..."

Katara smiled, pulling him away from the door by the arm. "Come on," she urged gently, getting him far enough inside the room to shut the door again. "You know he can take handle it."

"But he... he didn't try to murder me!" Zuko exclaimed.

She sank onto the bed, fiddling with the gold silk tie on his robe, the edges of her hair glowing with morning sunlight. "Do you know how I left the Southern Tribe?" she whispered, her gaze downcast and unfocused.

He came to sit next to her. "It was because Aang left, right?"

"Left the morning of our wedding," she added. "But I asked how, not why." Looking up, her ocean eyes caught and held him spellbound. "I woke up early, preparing myself for the beginning of the rest of my life. I went to find my groom, to spend a few final moments together, and saw him packing up Appa's saddle and dressed to travel for a very long time. He said sorry. Sorry. I retreated to my room, had a meltdown, punched a hole in the ice, jumped down, and forgot myself. Forgot my life, my human life. All I knew was the pulse of the ocean, the dance of the tiger seals, the games of the penguins, the heart-breaking songs of creatures twice as big as Appa and more graceful than a flying dragon. I was a part of the ocean. I was the ocean. When those men on Iroh's ship caught me, I was prepared to bring a hurricane down on their heads. Your uncle snapped me out of my delirium, and brought me to you. Somehow he knew that you were what I needed. You healed the cracks in my heart. Of course Sokka is not going to kill the man who saved me."

Zuko scooped her up in his arms, cradling her to his chest like a small child. "Wow. All I did when I caught Mai cheating was to banish her and demote him." He caught Katara's look of disbelief. "And burn anything that reminded her. And storm around the palace literally on fire for a good month."

She gave him a sad smile, her fingers brushing his scar. "I think that you are a much more sane person than I am," she giggled.

He rose, Katara still in his arms. "Only occasionally. I tend to loose my mind when you're in danger." Her eyes fell to the large mark in the center of his chest. Zuko kicked the closet door open and placed her lightly on her feet. "There's something I want to show you. Something I need you help with."

He walked to the very back of the house-sized space while Katara took in the endless rows and mounds and stacks of silks in every shade and hue of red and black and gold. "I owe you so much already," she called, running her finger across a simple gold headdress decorated with three large rubies, "that I cannot refuse any request you ask of me."

"I don't want you to say yes because you feel that you have to," Zuko replied. "It's over here."

She turned back to where he was standing, and could only gasp. The Fire Lord was standing next to the most stunning suit of armor Katara had ever seen. Instead of red, the base was a glittering gold covered in intricate black decals. The shoulder guards were not pointed at the tips, but rounded. The design reminded her of the patterns on the covers of Zuko's beds. It traced all the way down the upper arm and torso. The arm and shin guards were gold-edged, but the rest was scorched black. "If my brother knew you had this, I'm sure he'd kill you for it," she finally managed to say. "But are you really going to wear this? It looks too heavy and ornate for battle."

He stroked the the shoulder absentmindedly. "Don't worry, this is strictly for ceremonies. One ceremony, actually." His noon-sun eyes locked onto her deep-ocean ones. "A wedding ceremony."

Katara felt the air leave her lungs in one dizzying whoosh. "What.. why-"

Several sets of fists threatened to pound down the doors. "My Lord!" A muffled yell came through the thick wood. "My Lord, we are all ready!"

Scowling, the Fire Lord marched to the door and yanked it open. "I will be down as soon as I am ready!" he barked. "Now return to your duties!" As the door slammed shut, Zuko turned to face her. "I think it's time we went down," he said softly. "I'll leave you to get dressed in peace." He looked at her for a heartbeat longer before crossing the space between them in two long strides and planting his lips on hers hungrily. "I'll be waiting," he breathed before turning away and leaving her alone.

Katara sighed sadly. Damn it all! Why did this stupid rebellion have to be happening now! Couldn't they have one happy day together! Fuming, she reached for the white pile of wrappings that lay in a heap next to the Fire Lord's bed. As she covered herself, she remembered the expert way his fingers had unraveled her the night before. She made sure the ties were extra tight before she tossed her tunic over her head; no point in making it any easier for him the next time.

If there is a next time.

She shook her head, banishing that awful thought from her head. No. There would be a next time. There would be many "next times." They would all make it out alive. She began plaiting her waist-long hair. Of course there would be a "next time." They were the Fire Lord and the Master Water Bender of the Southern Water Tribe, fighting alongside the best and bravest in the entire world. They had overthrown the tyrant Lord Ozai and defeated his insane daughter before they were even eighteen. They could beat back Jet and his small rebel army without a problem.

Before she shut the door behind her, Katara paused to take in the rumbled bed, glowingly empty in the yellow light of dawn. I will never forget this, she though as she latched the door shut. A chill shot through her spine, a feeling that it would be a long time before she ever saw that room again. Ignoring her unhappy thoughts, she raced down the stairs and into the crowded courtyard.

* * *

Zuko was surrounded by a sea of color. Bright greens blended with autumn reds, midnight blues and earthy browns, darkest blacks and blinding whites. Somehow, he had to make sense of this mass of chaos, and he had only an hour to do it.

Thank goodness he was best friends with four other leaders. Sokka had been their main strategy planner, and he dictated the tasks to the rest of their leaders. He had also been the brains behind the various inventions they were using, and when he wasn't inside pouring over maps in the library he was on the beach, going over ever inch of the modified machines from the invasion on the day of the eclipse. Suki had taken charge of the archers and was practicing on an isolated cliff to be out of the way. Toph was coordinating partner fighting with earth and fire benders, seeing as they made up nearly all of the main army. Most of the water benders were either operating the machines or staying behind to heal, so Katara was busy running around making sure the infirmary was set up and well-supplied, and that the teams of boat-drivers were working together in perfect harmony. Zuko spent his time traveling from group to group, making sure they were all well stocked and up-to-date on where they needed to be and when.

At last, they were all ready. Zuko stood on the beach, directing platoons to this boat and that, until he was interrupted by one very angry water bender.

"Zuko!" A swinging braid and an angry expression heralded the appearance of Katara. "What is this?" She halted just inches from his face, a murderous intent in her eyes. "Sure, I get that you're worried about me getting hurt or whatever, but this is taking it too far!"

He shared a nod with Sokka, who stepped in to take over directing the troops. "Stop screaming, woman," Zuko retorted, yanking her towards the house. "Somebody might think we were already a couple."

"They already think that, Zuko!" she shouted back. "Especially now that you've decided that I need to stay here and play the roll of the good little lover who waits for her man in the safety of his home!" They had made it to the front door now, and Katara yanked her arm from his hand. "How could you do this to me?" Her face switched from fierce to hurt in the blink of an eye. "After everything we've been through together, you want me to just sit her and wait to hear what happened to you and Sokka and Suki and Toph and Aang and every person I care about? I am the best bender here, and you know it! So how could you selfishly-"

His lips against hers cut off the rest of her speech. "Yes, I am very selfish," he answered. "But not in the way that you think." His hands hovered over her waist for an instant before he slung her over his shoulder and carried her, protesting, into the library.

"What is your problem?" Katara screeched, pounding his back and kicking at his chest. "Where the hell are you taking me, Zuko? I may not like being left here, but if you even think about tying me up and locking me away, I swear I'll-"

"Are you sure she's the right one, my Lord?" a man interjected. "She seems a little loud for what you plan on doing."

Zuko kicked the door shut and placed Katara on her feet in one fluid motion. "Of course she's the right one. I wouldn't have had this idea if I hadn't already done it with her."

The water bender surveyed the faces in the room. They were all clothed in black, with cloths covering their faces up to the bridge of their noses. "You... you're all the boys Toph and I fought, at the palace," she realized. "But what-"

"I told you, remember?" Zuko wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "These are my elite squad of fighters. They do whatever special, secret tasks I need them to perform. Today, you are going to come with us."

She studied the dark clothes more closely. "Aren't those the outfits we wore when we-"

"Like I said, I wouldn't have gotten this idea if we hadn't done it ourselves." He smiled down at her and placed a dark bundle in her hands. "Get changed quickly, dear. We have a traitor to catch."

* * *

**A/N: Happy 10/10/10! To celebrate, I have finally finished this chapter! I know, its way too short for the amount of time it took me to write it, but it will have to do. The beginning was a lot of fun to write!**

**I hope you liked it, and stay tuned for the next chapter! There will be ACTION!**


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